


Kindred Spirits

by Musal



Category: Black Cat (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 28
Words: 408,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27455071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musal/pseuds/Musal
Summary: Alternate Universe: Creed Diskence, a lonely teen who never had anyone's love. Train Heartnet, a teen who always loses those he loves. What happens when like souls meet by chance? CreedxTrain(I first wrote this story in 2007 and finished as of 2020.  That's why the dates don't exactly match up with the current timeline.  It was a big deal when I finished this story, so I hope at least some people read it.  My writing has also improved over the years, so hopefully you'll see that change as well.)
Relationships: Charden Flamberg/Kirisaki Kyoko, Creed Diskenth/Train Heartnet, Eve/Sven Vollfied, Jenos Hazard/Rinslet Walker, Train Heartnet/Minatsuki Saya
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Flashback

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of it's characters

* * *

_Kindred Spirits_  
  
 **Flashbacks**

_March 22, 1999_

A small, ten year old boy with bright, sliver hair and celestial, sapphire eyes sat under a tall oak tree, which grew in front of a quaint, brick school. He wore tattered clothes that were much too big for his skinny frame, and probably more than thrice his age. His young, delicate skin, which still held its baby fat, was dirty and stained with tears. The boy's knees were pulled up to his chest, one arm wrapped tightly around them as his other occupied itself with a pointed stick, idly drawing figures in the dirt beneath him.

The child's name was Creed Diskence, unaware of how he was named, nor did he really care. The boy wasn't waiting for anything. He wasn't really doing anything either as he sat underneath the tree. He was merely just finding a reason not to go home, and drawing in the dirt was all he had. _If you can even call that a home…_ the silver boy thought to himself, bitterly. _This tree is more of a home than that apartment…_

You could say he was hiding. That might have been an accurate assumption. The school day hadn't ended, but, unbeknownst his sensei, he snuck out early. He just couldn't take it anymore, the other children were brutal. No one took the time to understand him, to get to know him. They just saw the silver hair and ratty clothes and instantly labeled him as "the weird kid in class". Or as they preferred to call him, "Psycho".

Okay, maybe he was a little strange, but that didn't make him the bad guy. He just… didn't know how to communicate properly. It's not like anyone ever taught him how. Everything he said was weird. He didn't fit in with them… with anyone… It was as if he was from another planet… He got that idea from the kids, since they often said he was from Mars.

He couldn't help the strange comments that came out of his mouth. It didn't help that he got the highest grades in class, so their sensei constantly called on him for answers. That led to jealousy among the others, along with brain jokes. Saying he was an experiment for a top secret weapons development, was becoming popular. He swore someone had actually started writing a book about it…

The child had quickly learned to just stay quiet and not make any movements. That idea quickly failed, since they would then pick on him for how he looked. Not that he was a bad looking kid, Creed always thought he was rather good looking. Then again, what does the opinion of a "psycho" matter? Well, that's what everyone else said when he tried to defend himself.

The hair seemed to get the most attention, though not the kind he wanted. It was a very unnatural, brilliant silver, that earned him many taunts. He'd admit that silver was a very strange color for hair, but he always liked it. He couldn't really understand why they tormented him so. _And I take care of it… well as best I can with what I have… but that only seems to make it worse!_

Cleaning it made it brighter, shinier, making the silver stand out further. A few times, he purposely didn't wash it, just to see if things changed. They didn't, the kids would just call him greasy. He once contemplated cutting it off, but he chose not to. He still liked it, and refused to admit defeat to those kids.

Other than his hair, his clothes were a great object of torture. Needless to say, unwashed and torn clothes that didn't fit, did **not** make a good impression. Creed frowned and tugged at his pants leg. _I do_ _ **not**_ _shop in the trash can! Mother just won't buy me clothes…_

The ones he wore were clothes his mother collected from men she had over their apartment. She didn't even give them to him, Creed had to scavenge them himself. He actually took them from the strangers in the middle of his mother's… "business transaction" with them.

He **was** able to wash them, just not very often. Having to pick a time when your whore mother wasn't around so you could dunk your clothes in the tub real quick, was actually quite difficult. That fact bothered him almost more than the bullying did. He hated not being clean…

 _Why do I even come to this place? Because **she** doesn't want me around?_ Well, he didn't want to be there either. He only went "home" to sleep and to salvage some food. All he ever got were scraps, making him skinny and adding yet another thing to tease him about.

Creed decided to agree with the woman's demands and attend school, just so he would have something to do in the day while his mother had "guests" over. He thought maybe it would give him a chance to meet people, make some friends. Boy, was he ever wrong. _Maybe I just won't go back… I'll find something else to occupy my time._

From a distance, he heard the school's bell go off. He sighed tiredly and started to make a move to get up. Sitting there unmoving was practically like painting a target mark on his chest. Not that he was really any safer at home, but at least there it was a little easier to hide, since his mother didn't go out of her way to torment him. She couldn't be bothered with such a chore. If Creed wanted to feel like dirt, _he_ had to find _her._

Just as he stood and pointlessly brushed his soiled clothes off, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who the slap on the back of his head was dealt from, since it was quickly followed by a shove to the side and a kick in the knee. Creed gritted his teeth and remained stock still as three boy his age stepped in front of him.

"You left class early, Psycho. What's wrong? Mommy wants her baby home so they can go garbage picking together?" Remarked the child who sat behind him, Baldorias Fanghini. He was the leader of the three, who started most of the actions against Creed. He enjoyed smacking him randomly the most.

Creed rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that'll be the day…" he muttered mostly to himself.

A shove from behind reminded him of Baldor's little sidekick, Kranz Maduke. He enjoyed pushing Creed. "What was that, garbage boy?"

Creed turned his blue eyes to Kranz slightly, glaring, "Does it even matter? It's not like anything I say would change anything…"

Another kick to his foot made Creed jump back slightly, despite what his mind told him. The boy named Ash laughed and stood beside Baldor. "No, I guess you're right. That experiment must be a success so far."

The silver boy narrowed his eyes, hiding the tears the children brought on. All three still seemed to notice as they laughed as one.

"You know, sensei actually got worried when she noticed you were gone," Baldor remarked as he began to circle Creed. "We told her you weren't worth it. That you probably went to find the nearest trash can so you could go shopping."

Ash began to follow behind Baldor as Kranz disappeared somewhere he did not know. Creed felt it was pointless to have his guard up, since it never did any good, but did nonetheless.

As he watched them circle him fully once, Creed snarled, "What are you guys? Sharks?"

He heard a half laugh, half growl exit Baldor's throat as he stood in front of him again, smiling as if he had a plan. "I think that sounds right, don't you boys?"

Before Creed could respond, Baldor pushed him backwards, making him trip over Kranz who kneeled on all fours behind him. Creed smashed his head violently against the tree and slid slowly to the dirt beneath him. As he lifted his head to shout at the boys, he grunted in anguish and shut his eyes as Ash kicked dirt in them.

He coughed and sputtered, the three boys laughing merrily as he tried to wash the dirt from his eyes. When he finally did, he opened them slowly, blue eyes turning red as tears — caused from both the pain of their words and the pain of the dirt — swelled in the blue depths.

He tightened his hands into fists as the three continued laughing and throwing taunts at him. Creed felt something sharp prick at his skin, making him look down. He smiled slightly as he eyed the rusty shard of glass he clutched at. Looking back to the boys, he began to stand, his silver bangs shadowing half his face.

Creed watched the laughing trio only a second longer before he let out a quiet, sinister laugh. That caught the boys' attention, and they turned to him curiously.

Smalls drops of blood slid from his palm and down his arm as he spoke is a dangerously soft tone, "It's not very nice to keep calling me those things…" His smile widen as he glared at them, "Do any of you know what "karma" is?"

There was no response, making Creed laugh again. "I thought as much, you stupid apes… Allow me to teach you."

He began to run forward, the shard of glass sticking through his fingers, causing more blood to spew from his fingers as he grasped it tightly. Just before he attacked the leader of the trio, he heard the voice of another boy enter his ears.

"Hey! What do you guys think you're doing?!"

All four boys turned their attention in the same direction. Standing there was yet another boy their age, with luminous, golden eyes glaring at Baldor and company. His spiky, brown hair framed his face elegantly, yet held a sort of power you couldn't explain. Creed had never seen him before, and could only assume he was in a different class from them.

Baldor growled and turned to the newest boy, "What business is it of yours?"

The golden eyed child looked at each of Creed's attackers with distaste, before meeting Creed's gaze. Something about the way those eyes shined at him lessened the red glow of Creed's, and made his heart beat fast. For some reason, the look calmed Creed's rage. He felt like they were trying to comfort Creed. Trying to show him that he cared what was happening to him.

His thoughts were proven as the golden boy turned back to the bullies. "It looks like you're picking on that poor kid. Why don't you leave him alone and pick on someone your own size?"

Baldor's glare suddenly turned into a playful smile, "Is that a challenge?"

The brunette returned the smile with a cheeky one of his own, "Not really. I think you're bigger than me too, you moose."

The leader's smile changed once more as he stalked towards Creed's rescuer. His two lackeys followed after him, Ash picking the stick off the ground Creed had been playing with. Before Creed could intervene, he saw the boy slide between Baldor and Kranz, turning around and pushing them both forward, causing them to stumble and trip over one another.

Ash watched in shock as he looked back to the boy. He smiled again and ran at Creed, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him off. The boy pulled him along quickly as he ran from the trio who were yelling and chasing after them.

Creed was in shock as this boy led him away from danger and to what was hopefully safety. He was thrown down an alley, stumbling slightly and grabbing the wall to balance himself, as his wrist was released. The silver haired boy turned to look at his savior, who was peaking around the corner, waiting for the bullies to pass.

After several minutes, Creed heard him sigh, "I hate bullies…"

Creed silently watched as the boy turned around. Widen blues eyes stared at him in shock and confusion as he made his way over. He was at an utter loss for words as the boy moved closer, and could only stare in disbelief. Never in his life had someone else stuck up for him, let alone take him to safety.

Or was this safety?

Creed looked around frantically, as if expecting another group of children to come out and beat him senseless. A soft chuckle brought his attention forward.

That smile crossed the small lips again, "No one else is here. The only ones that know about this place are my friends; that's why I brought you here. Those bullies won't find you."

Creed was still a little uncertain and looked around again. Before he could get a grasp on his surroundings, he felt a hand grab his chin and turn his gaze. His eyes met gold again, blinking several times to get over the shock of the contact.

He blinked even more as the boy frowned. His eyes actually looked _concerned_ , a look which Creed had never seen directed at him before.

"You all right?"

The tone of his voice was also a shock to Creed . It sounded… sincere… Not like all those times when he was offered false kindness, then had it violently ripped away. He didn't respond to the question, merely blinked in amazement.

The boy frowned again, "Your face is all dirty and you have little cuts. You should go home and get cleaned up."

 _Home…_ Creed thought wistfully. He couldn't help the next words that came out of his mouth. He was sure they would be thrown back at him as weird. "I don't have a home…"

Surprisingly, the boy didn't respond harshly. He blinked and gave a confused look. "You don't have a home? Where do you sleep at night?"

Creed sighed and forced his chin away, "I have a place to sleep… most of the time… But I don't have a _home._ "

Again, he knew it was probably weird, but he said it nonetheless. He didn't understand _why_ it was weird, since it was completely true. He waited for the predictable taunt and rejection.

Shock hit his chest once again as he felt a hand ruffle his hair playfully. "Sounds to me like you don't get treated any better at home. Don't sweat it. You don't gotta explain if you don't wanna."

Creed watched, astonished and perplexed, as the boy walked over to a corner of the alley and pulled out a large bucket. With a heave and a loud grunt, the brunette picked it up and walked back over to Creed, dropping it on the ground and wiping his brow. He pulled out a piece of cloth from his pocket and dipped it in the bucket. Handing it to Creed, he smiled that same smile.

"Use this to wipe your face off. You don't wanna get an infection."

Blinking seemed to be an overly repetitive gesture for Creed at this point as he took the damped cloth from his rescuer. He washed his face off and handed it back. The boy made a disgusted face, one Creed was used to, and expected to be hurt again. But, once again, he was surprised to see the boy pushing his hand away and shaking his head, laughing a little.

"You keep it, I don't feel like having it after it got all dirty."

Creed blinked, "But… it's yours…"

That smile again, "Well, now it's yours."

He laughed at the look on Creed's face and sat in front of him. His lips contorted into a slant as he studied Creed. The blue eyed child stared back, blinking innocently.

"W-what?" He asked, frightened.

There was silence for another moment as the boy's eyes moved up to his head and examined his hair. "Your hair is silver."

Creed blinked, then narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, what of it?"

The brunette boy reached forward and messed it up a little. "It's just that… it's kinda weird."

Creed glared and smacked his hands away, "So your mess of a brown bush is normal?" He folded his arms and looked away. "Not to mention the color of your eyes. They look like they belong on a cat."

Laughter and a thump brought his attention over to his companion. He continued his blinking once more as the boy before him rolled on the ground, laughing happily. After several minutes, he stopped tossing around and caught his breath. The golden boy sat up slowly and wiped his eyes.

"No, no, no, I meant I like it. It's cool looking."

Creed blushed slightly as the boy smiled at him.

"You're funny kid, what's your name?" He asked in a friendly manner.

Creed had to shake himself out of the shock the complement brought on before he could answer, "I-I'm Creed. C-Creed Diskence." His voice shook slightly as he spoke.

The boy stuck out a hand to Creed and smiled brightly, "My name's Train Heartnet. Nice to meet you, Creed."

_Train…_

The blue eyed boy watched the hand, as if it were going to bite him. But… there was something about this boy… Something alluring about him… Something that made Creed want to hold his hand tight and never let go. He didn't understand why, but his pulse was racing and his face felt hot. Train's cat like eyes were warming, comforting and friendly. He could tell, just from them, that Train was sincere in both his words, and actions.

A little hesitantly, Creed put his hand out as well, dropping the shard he was holding. Train seemed to hear the clank on the ground and looked down. Creed began to worry once more as his hero eyed the blood covered glass. _Is he going to call me a psycho too…?_

This was the first time he was ever shown concern, and he didn't want it to end so quickly. He rather liked this boy, and he didn't want him to get a bad impression…

Creed was shocked yet again as Train frowned at the shard. "I see… Well… I guess I can't really blame you. They were saying some awful things." His eyes met Creed's, making the silver boy red in the face, "Plus, they started the fight. How could they expect you _not_ to fight back?"

Relief flooded through Creed and he smiled back, still confused as to why his face felt so hot. He jumped a little as Train grabbed his hand and eyed the cut thoughtfully. Creed was confused further as he felt his face burn even brighter as Train held his hand gently, fingering the cut elegantly.

"Hmm, it looks kinda deep…"

He reached to the side and dug through some boxes, never releasing his hold on Creed's hand. That fact only made Creed's blush stronger as he watched Train in an astonished daze. Train made an accomplished noise as he pulled out a small tool box. It didn't look very impressive to Creed, but then again, he probably shouldn't be one to judge.

Train opened the box and grabbed a roll of bandages. He took the wet cloth from Creed's other hand and dapped the blood away, cleaning it as best he could. Once that was done, he took the bandage and wrapped it around his hand, tight enough so it wouldn't fall, but loose enough to let the blood flow.

When he finished, he smiled proudly, "That should be good enough for now, but you might wanna see the nurse or something to get it cleaned better. I can't say how clean that water is."

He looked up at Creed, who's face was beat red and his eyes glowing strangely. Train frowned in confusion at the look, and cocked an eyebrow. "You sick?"

Creed heard his heart beat loudly and he shook his head frantically. Train shrugged and released his hand. Creed was at a loss to explain why the loss of Train's hand made him feel sad and want to hold it again.

"That's all we really have here. You could say this is kind of out hideout, so we keep certain supplies here, though not much." Train smiled at Creed, making his blush return, "I know what you're thinking. This isn't much of a hideout, but we like it. Eve's looking for a new one though. She says this one's too small. But I don't really care, neither does Sven. Saya seems to though, and she has a way of making us all agree with her. I don't know how she does that…"

Train stopped suddenly as he looked at Creed. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm just blabbering, aren't I? It's probably getting on your nerves."

Creed shook his head again, "N-no, not at all! I-I don't mind." _Why am I so nervous?_

He looked at the ground, voice turning into a wistful whisper, "No one ever talks to me… I-I'm… enjoying this…"

Train laughed and folded his legs into a pretzel shape, leaning forward on his feet and peering at Creed's face. The closeness made Creed jump back slightly and blush hard once more.

"All right then, we can chat. I have some time before my friends get here." He lowered his brow and leaned on his hands, "So, what kind of name is Creed, anyway? I've never heard anyone being called something like that before. And I know a **lot** of people with weird names."

Creed blinked as he tried to force his hot face to cool and focus his thoughts. "I-I don't know. I've n-never really thought about it before… I-I didn't think it mattered."

Train leaned back and stared at the sky, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Just a curiosity question."

There was a moment of silence as Creed watched Train watch the sky. The silver haired boy tried and break it, though his voice still sounded nervous as he spoke, "W-well, what kind of name is Train?"

Train looked back down at Creed and blinked, then smiled, "I don't know either. Maybe my mom was a fan of trains? Or maybe my parents got married on a train. Who knows?"

Train looked back to the sky and whistled a short tune, one which Creed recognized, but couldn't place the name of.

"What's that song?"

The golden eyed boy looked back down at him, "Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht. My mom sings it to me at night when I can't sleep. You might know it as Brahms' Lullaby, but mom went through all the trouble of teaching me how to pronounce that other name, so I try to call it that."

He laughed at himself, "Well, I call it that around her. To my friends', I just call it Brahms' Lullaby. Saya yells at me when I say it the other way, since she can't pronounce it. Not many of them can, it took me a long time to be able to say it right myself."

"Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht. I recognize it."

Train looked at Creed, shocked at his perfect pronunciation. "Whoa, that was good. How'd you do that so quickly?"

Creed looked at him, a little scared that the next thing he was about to say would weird Train out, "I-I spend most of my time in the library, reading or at the computer. I like music, so I-I've looked up a lot of stuff. I… w-wanna learn the piano…"

Creed waited to be teased, but it still never came. Train actually smiled and nodded knowingly. "You're really smart. I can't stand reading, my sensei says it'll be my downfall in the future." He shrugged again, "Whatever, I don't think I need to read books to know how to live."

Train looked at Creed and winced at the sad look he was getting. "I'm not knocking your hobbies, it's just not my thing. I think it's cool that you wanna play the piano."

Creed smiled, feeling his heart and his face burn again. _What's with this feeling? It's not that it's a bad feeling, I like it. But… what_ _ **is**_ _it? Why does he make me feel so… comfortable? So… happy? I… don't feel alone right now…_

He continued watching Train, who had found a bug crawling on the ground rather interesting. _Why have I never seen him before? Why has it taken so long for someone to actually_ _ **want**_ _to talk to me? So long for someone to… care?_

"What class are you in?" Creed couldn't help but ask.

"Takahashi's class. He's waaaay at the end of the hall. We barely know other classes exist."

Creed frowned. He was hoping his class was at least _close_ to his own.

"Ya know, it's kinda ironic that you compared me to a cat earlier."

The blue eyed boy blinked at Train. "I-I didn't mean to poke fun…"

He felt fingers ruffling his hair playfully again and sighed quietly at the friendly gesture. "No, you did. Don't lie. But you were just trying to defend yourself. That's what you **should** be doing."

Train smiled and sat back again, "What I meant was, it's ironic that someone else compares me to a cat. That's what everyone compares me to."

Creed titled his head, "It doesn't bother you?"

Train shook his head, "Not at all. It's true, and I actually take it as a complement. I do act like a cat, plus I like them. No one's trying to make fun of me." He paused, and thought over his words, "Well, maybe at first they were, but I think since I took to it and went along with the stereotype, it turned into a short of nickname for me. All my friends call me Neko or Cat Boy, if they're messing with me."

"Act… like a cat?"

Train smiled that cheeky smile again. Creed was beginning to think it was his trademark. "Yeah. They say I'm stubborn, like attention, and do what I wanna do. Plus, I love milk. Then, of course, there's the eye thing that you pointed out before."

Creed couldn't understand it. That _must_ have been strange, yet this boy didn't seem to get picked on at all. He actually seemed pretty popular, considering all the friends he talked about. _But… he still seems strange, in his own way. So… why is it that_ _ **I**_ _get picked on for being different, but_ _ **he**_ _gets praised?_

He wanted to learn more about him. He wanted to continue asking him questions and speaking cordially with him until he knew everything about the Cat Boy. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go, he had all day. All week, all month, all year. He could sit there for as long as it took to get to know every detail about Train. It's not like he _needed_ food. He proved that after that week of having nothing but water.

But before he could ask another question, a female voice came from behind him, catching both boys' attention.

"There you are, Train-kun! We've been looking all over for you. We didn't tell you to meet us here!"

Creed turned around, angry at whomever it was that interrupted him. Standing at the entrance of the alley, was a girl the same age as him, with short hair and teal eyes. Behind her was a younger girl with long, blonde hair and bright, ruby eyes. On the other side of the short haired girl, leaning on the wall, was another boy their age with short, green hair and two different colored eyes. One was sort of a copper color, while the other was a lighter shade of blue than Creed's.

He heard Train stand and looked over quickly, watching as his savior brushed himself off.

"I know, I know, but I had a little… side quest I needed to do."

All three kids at the alley's entrance looked down at Creed. He felt a little uncomfortable with all those eyes on him, not to mention scared at what they might say. The boy against the wall smiled knowingly.

"Ah, I see. Playing the knight in shining armor again?" He said, jokingly.

Train laughed, "I guess you could say that."

The blonde girl jabbed him in the side. "Don't say that, Sven, it's mean."

The boy named Sven looked down at the girl and frowned, "I don't see why, Eve. Train knows I'm kidding."

"Yes, but what about that other boy? You might make him feel bad," said the girl in front.

Train patted Creed's head as if he were a puppy. "Creed knows we're not bullying him, Saya. Isn't that right, Creed?"

The boy was blushing once more at the contact, but was able to force out a nod.

He smiled the smile Creed had grown fond of, "Well, I gotta go. Maybe I'll see you later."

Creed's hero ruffled his hair one last time before walking towards his friends. The silver boy sadly watched him leave, feelings the loneliness settle in already. Inwardly, he wanted to follow after him and barrage him with more questions, but he didn't. He was afraid of getting on his nerves, or saying something wrong and making his savior hate him. For some reason… that thought made him feel like crying.

All that kindness… all that friendship and all that caring was walking away from him, leaving him speechless and lonely. He felt unbelievably depressed, but also happy. Train obviously went to this school as well, and even if their classes were far apart, Creed would find a way to see him.

He clutched desperately at the cloth given to him and sighed peacefully. The earlier thoughts of never returning to this place again had completely disappeared. The once Hell had become sort of a Heaven, and he had just found a reason to stay...


	2. The First Spirit

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

**The First Spirit**

_September 6, 2007_

"Yo! Train!"

A spiky haired teen turned his golden eyes towards the shout. He smiled and waved his olive haired friend over. Train forced back a laugh as Sven approached, sporting his new eye patch.

Getting closer, the eye patched boy growled and dropped his briefcase next to him. "Go ahead, just get it out."

Train complied, allowing his laughter to grab the attention of everyone around them. Sven merely sighed, crossing his arms impatiently as he watched his friend nearly collapse on the ground. The brunette held his sides tightly and gasped for breath between chuckles. As Sven tapped his foot, Train calmed down and stood up straight.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. How's your eye?" Train asked as he wiped his eyes.

Sven sighed, "There's nothing wrong with it, the surgery went fine. I just need to wear this for the next couple weeks."

"Will you be able to see better when it comes off?"

Again, Sven sighed, idly letting his hand fall to the patch, "Hopefully… He won't really know if the surgery went well until it comes off."

He picked up his briefcase and began to walk towards the school with Train following behind.

"Aw, come on, don't get all depressed about it. It actually looks pretty cool. Besides, you said you hated having two different color eyes anyway." Train placed a hand on his shoulder, "Look at it this way, now people will only see one color instead of two."

At Sven's frown, Train gave the teen's shoulder a friendly pat, hoping to comfort him. "Don't sweat it, buddy. It's only a couple weeks, right?"

"I guess…" Sven answer, sadly.

Train frowned at the tone of his voice. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him that he was sure would cheer his friend up. "Ya know, I hear a lot of girls _like_ this short of thing. They think it's cool and mysterious. Isn't Eve one of those girls who's fascinated by mysterious things?"

Sven stopped and looked at Train, apparently intrigued by this information.

Train smiled and continued, "Yeah, she does. She's always reading books on strange things. If I recall correctly, pirate books are her favorite."

His friend's one good eye widen, then slowly sunk to the ground.

Train messed with his hair, "Chill Sven, once that patch comes off, you're vision will be completely new. Maybe even as good as mine."

With a mischievous grin, Train eyed the string keeping the patch in place. He took it between his fingers, pulled back, then let go, causing the band to smack against Sven's temple. Sven shouted in pain, and put his hand where the string had hit. He turned his head violently towards Train, who laughed.

"Though I think I'll miss that." Train stopped beside a wall, leaning his back against it, "What's your first class?"

Sven glared at Train for a moment longer before digging into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Statistics."

Train gasped and faked a faint gesture, clutching the wall like he was going to fall, "Why would you take that class?!"

Sven shrugged, "Cause I want to."

Train sighed and leaned back against the wall of their school, yawning loudly, "Even if you want to take it, why are you taking it first thing in the morning? I can barely wake up at this time!"

Sven snorted, "You can barely wake at noon, let alone seven in the morning."

Train sent a tired glare at him, then yawned again. His eyes turned down to the briefcase Sven had always used instead of a school bag. Train could never figure out why, so he decided to ask. "Sven, why do you insist on using that thing?"

Sven blinked his one visible eye and looked at the case in his hand, "Cause I like it. Something wrong with that?"

The other teen shrugged, "Nah, I guess not. But, you're eighteen and that case makes you look thirty. Like you're about to head into a business meeting or something. Just seems a little weird, is all."

The olive haired teen rolled his eye, "I don't think you're one to talk about weirdness."

"Actually, I think the fact that I **am** weird gives me the right to call others weird." He stretched, then yawned again. "Why don't you just make a move on Eve already? It's been, how long now?"

His friend ignored him in favor of looking towards the school's entrance, face turning red. Train began to laugh at his reaction, which earned him a growl.

Suddenly, Sven's smile turned into a grin, "Well, what about you and Saya?"

Train stopped his laughter and eyed Sven in confusion, "What about us?"

The olive haired boy looked back to Train, still grinning, "You know what I mean…"

It was Train's turn to blush a little, "Saya and are I just friends." He scratched his head, and looked to the ground, mumbling quietly, "Besides… it's not like I have time for such things…"

"What'd you say?"

Train jumped and quickly dismissed the question with a wave of his hand, "Nothing, nothing…"

Sven shrugged his shoulders and looked back to the school, seemingly deep in thought. Train sighed, "If you don't make a move on her soon, I will," Train teased.

That caught Sven's attention and he shot his eyes over at his cat-like friend.

Train just chuckled. "That's not what I meant, I meant I'd tell her myself," he paused and smiled deviously. "Although, she has filled out quite nicely…"

Sven punched him in the shoulder, "That's not funny!"

"What? I'm just noticing how our Little Princess has become a woman. No need to throw a fit," Train said as he rubbed his shoulder.

"I've become a woman too, Neko Neko!"

Both Sven and Train looked in the same direction to see a young girl one year younger than them with short dark hair, wearing the tiniest skirt either of them had ever seen. Train's eyes widened and he gulped as the girl ran over to him. Just as he was about to take off in the opposite direction, he felt the girl's arms wrap around his neck, squeezing him tight.

"Didn't you notice how well Kyoko's developed too, Neko Neko?"

Train grumbled and tried to pull free as Sven laughed wholeheartedly at the scene. Though, as the girl bounced up and down against him, Train couldn't help but notice how much she **had** developed. _Bad Train, bad Train! Never let her hear you utter those thoughts!_ He shot at glare at Sven and pushed Kyoko off.

"Damnit Kyoko, why do you insist on doing that?" He asked, angrily.

Kyoko smiled brightly, "You're just so cute! I can't help but want to hug a cute guy!"

Sven laughed harder as Train growled. Ever since they were little, she's had this weird obsession with him that was obviously centered around his looks. If she wasn't so clingy and annoying and pushy, Train might actually like her a little. Not to mention she had a boyfriend! _Speaking of which, where the hell is he?_

"Kyoko-san, are you bothering Train again?"

Train sighed in relief at the familiar voice. _My savior!_ He turned around and smiled thankfully at a boy his age with long, golden hair and clear, blue eyes. His skin was a pale, cream color that seemed to brighten the sparkle in his eyes. Needless to say, he was quite the ladies' man. Blonde hair was hard to come by, and it seemed to drive every girl wild. He was extremely modest and polite too, which only caused more swooning girls to whimper after him.

Charden nodded at Train and eyed Kyoko wearily, "You promised you wouldn't hassle him this year."

Kyoko pouted and ran over to Charden, wrapping her arms tighter around him than she did Tran. She gave him a big kiss on the cheek and pleaded, "I'm sorry, Charden-san! Kyoko will be a good girl next time."

"May I ask _why_ you're with her?" Sven's voice finally came into play, "I mean, you pretty much have your choice of any girl here, and you choose her."

Kyoko stuck her tongue out at Sven and clung to Charden's arm. The tall blonde smiled at the question, "Does it really matter to you who I choose to date?"

Sven shrugged his shoulders, since he didn't really care. However, Train wasn't satisfied. "But she constantly clings to me! Doesn't that bother you at all?"

Again, Charden smiled, "No, she's just very emotional and flirtatious. I can handle that."

"Patience of a saint…" Train mumbled as the boy led the hyper girl away. She smiled brightly at Train and winked in a teasing manner before clinging to Charden again. The Cat Boy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "What an annoying girl… I can't believe Charden actually puts up with her."

"You're telling me you didn't like that attention? I saw your cheeks redden for a second."

Train shot a glare at his friend as he laughed and patted him on the back. His glare remained for a second longer before he spotted something behind Sven. The golden eyed teen smiled sinisterly and spoke in a sing-song voice.

"Hey Sven…"

Sven looked over his shoulder, then quickly turned back around, face looking worried. Train smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder, as if to comfort him.

"It's okay, big guy. I'm sure she won't care about the eye patch…. Much…"

Sven growled loudly and smacked his hand away. Train made a hurt look and pouted.

"You're so mean to me, Sven! Why won't you love me?!"

The volume of Train's voice caught the attention of everyone around him, making several students giggle. Sven glanced around in panic and smacked Train upside his head.

"Stop that! People are looking!"

Train didn't listen. Instead, he clung to his shirt and shouted loudly, "I told everyone I fell on a door knob, just like you told me too. What else do I need to do?!"

"Train, lower your voice, you're going to get in trouble."

Sven and Train's attention turned towards a girl watching them with ruby eyes. Her long, blonde hair nearly reached her heels, tied in pigtails with black ribbons. Though she was only two years younger than them, she stood almost two feet shorter. The school girl's uniform she wore hardly left anything to the imagination, though it was still more than Kyoko's, and—with her figure—she would surely get a lot of attention from her male peers.

The eye patched teen blushed and turned to Eve, "Eve, cover yourself up! Guys are gonna come after you like crazy if you wear something like that!"

Eve narrowed her eyes at him. Sven was always over protective of her and, though Train could tell she liked the attention, it could wear on her nerves. "Every girl is wearing this. We _have_ to, it's school regulations."

Sven took his uniform's jacket off and handed it to Eve. "Then wear this, it'll cover you up enough."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes, "You'll get in trouble if you don't wear that, it's school regulations to wear the outfit completely."

"Regulations, smegulcations!" Train said defiantly and handed Eve his jacket, "Take mine. He'll be having a nervous breakdown all day if you don't wear something over that. It's not like I follow the clothing regulations anyway."

Train hated the required outfit. Every morning, he'd just throw the shirt on—top buttons undone—along with the black pants and dress shoes. He sometimes wore the jacket, but never bothered to button that up either. However, no one _ever_ saw him with the tie on. He would carry it around, just incase one of the school's faculty members stopped him and told him to put it on, but it came off the second they were out of sight. Other than that, it was really used to smack Sven on the back of the head, since he liked the reaction.

Eve turned her glare on Train and huffed. "No. I'm not a little kid anymore, you don't need to protect me from everything. I can take care of myself."

"I beg to differ, Princess…"

Before Eve could react to the voice, two hands had cupped her breasts from behind. Eve screamed and smacked them away, blushing violently and folding her arms across her chest.

Another boy with short, black hair and eyes to match stepped to the side, laughing merrily. "If you want to protect yourself, you need to get your guard up. That'll happen a lot if you don't!"

"Jenos!" Sven wasn't surprised that his voice was accompanied by a higher pitched, female one.

A girl with lavender hair and teal eyes stood behind the teen named Jenos, face red with fury. Jenos turned around and waved awkwardly at her.

"Rins-chan! I didn't know you were there," he tried to smile comfortingly, in an attempt to ease her fury.

As predicted, it didn't work. The girl stormed up to him, eyes practically oozing hatred, and slapped him hard on the cheek. Sven and Train both made an "ooh" sound as Jenos cupped his check, which began to show a bright, red hand mark. As Sven walked over to Eve to make sure she was all right, Jenos turned back to Rins and frowned sadly.

"Ouch! That hurt! Why'd you do that?"

"Why do you think, you dog?!"

Jenos sighed and sunk his head low. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm sorry, Rins-baby. Forgive me…?"

Rins folded her arms and turned away, "Not likely…"

Jenos tried to hug her, only to get elbowed in the stomach. Train half grunted in pain for him and half laughed. Jenos held his stomach painfully and turned to face everyone else. After several more moans of pain, he stood up straight and was face to face with Eve. He gulped silently as the blonde girl glared at him. Before Jenos could react, he was slapped strongly once more. By now, Train was practically dying of laughter, as he clutched the wall to stay up.

The raven haired boy looked at the girls who had joined forces against him and whimpered. "What is this?! Pick on Jenos day?"

"More like: beat up the guy who feels up anything with breasts day," Rins scowled.

As Jenos frowned at her, Train walked over to him and slung his arm across his shoulder, "You've really got a way with women, don't ya?"

"I say he's lucky to have Rinslet, wouldn't you?"

Train looked over to see a third girl with her arm around Jenos as well. She had short hair that was only a shade darker than Rinslet's with teal eyes. She smiled at Train briefly before turning to the crippled teen she leaned on.

"How'd you like it if I felt _you_ up all the time?" She asked, rhetorically.

Jenos smiled at her, "Why would I act negatively to that?"

As he saw the girl raising her hand to smack him, he crouched to the ground, shielding his head from the blow. "No, no, no! Uncle…"

Train laughed and crouched next to him, "Seriously, you should write a book on how to pick up girls."

Jenos glared at him as the brunette laughed and stood fully.

Eve handed Train's jacket back to him and smiled at Sven, "See? I can take care of myself. People will learn not to mess with me."

Sven still looked a little unconvinced, but nodded nonetheless. Rins walked over to her crumpled boyfriend and tapped her toe impatiently. Jenos looked up at her, trying to give the best puppy dog look he could muster. Rins sighed and helped him stand.

"Honestly, I wonder sometimes why I ever decided to give into your constant nagging and date you."

Jenos brushed himself off and winked at her, "It must be my animal magnetism."

"The only thing your magnet attracts, are my fists," Rins answered back as she began to walk away.

Jenos frowned and ran after her, waving bye to the rest of his friends. "See you guys later! Same place at lunch, right?"

Train nodded for the group and waved back, chuckling as he saw Rins yelling at him for something else. _I swear, he pays her to date him._ He quickly pushed that thought aside. Had he said it in front of Rins, he'd be in no better condition than Jenos was.

"So, Train, you doing all right?"

Train turned around at the question. All his friends were eyeing him with a curious, but concerned look. He knew why. The forth year anniversary of his parent's murder was coming up soon. He smiled at the gesture, knowing they meant well.

"I'm fine, Sven."

"Do you want to spend the night at my house?" Saya offered, "Sven and Eve are coming, and we thought you might want to join us…"

Train gave her his trademark cheeky smile, trying to convince them that he was okay. "No, I can't tonight, sorry. It's my grandpa's birthday, and grandma will be angry if I'm not there."

It wasn't a complete lie, nor was it the complete truth. It very will might have been his grandfather's birthday, but he would never know. Both his grandparents on both sides of his family died before he was born. And it wasn't like his parents could tell him anything about them, let only any aunts or uncles. His parents were dead and they—like him—had no siblings. The only family he ever had, were his parents. Honestly, that's all he ever needed…

Saya frowned, "Your grandpa's birthday is _today_?"

Train flinched a little at her tone. She sounded sad and unbelieving, but said nothing of the sort. _Did I use that excuse already? I need to start writing them down…_ It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to hang out with his friends, it was that he **couldn't**. He didn't have the time to.

When his parents died, Saya, Sven and Eve each offered to have him live with one of them, but he declined all three invites. He was able to convince them that he was moving in with grandparents they never met before. He wasn't sure _how_ he convinced them, but he did. Not only that, he got them believing they didn't believe in phones, so he didn't have one. Of course, that was a lie too. Their belief was a shock to Train. _Seriously, who doesn't believe in phones?_

He had two jobs and even with them, he didn't have the money to pay for a phone. He barely had the money for rent and food, let alone a phone bill or movies. It was actually lucky for him that they had to wear a uniform to school. Train didn't have the money for new clothes, which he needed since he had grown out of his old ones. He really only had the uniform for school and two different outfits for each of his jobs.

Train was able to keep the house he and his parents lived in for a little while, but not long. It was quickly repossessed and he was forced to find another place to live. Even after that, he still refused to take one of his friends up on their offer.

Eventually, he found a crummy old apartment building. When he first checked it out, he didn't think the floors would be strong enough to hold him. He felt like he was going to fall through a broken piece of board and crash to the floor below him. That was why he decided to take a room on the lowest level possible. As much as he loved high places, he didn't feel like having his bed collapse to the floor beneath him. _But I guess this way, I have to worry about_ _ **beds**_ _falling on_ _ **me**_ _. Oh well, it's not like I have the money for anything better._

Between school and work, he was booked, and he couldn't quit either of his jobs. He needed the money for rent and food, and he refused to leave school, since it was the only time he got to see his friends. If it wasn't for school, he'd probably be completely withdrawn from everyone and everything around him. _Even though, in a way, I am…_

No one knew of his situation. No adult, no friend, no one. He made sure no one knew, since they'd just offer assistance, which his pride wouldn't accept. The day his parents died, he stood at the foot of their grave and made a promise to both them and himself. He promised he would take care of everything from then on. He was going to prove to everyone that he was strong enough to bare the pain of his parents' death alone. He wanted to show them that he'd be fine by himself, and prove to the world he didn't need help.

Seeing Train was silent, Sven sighed and smacked him on the back. "We'll get you out one of these days. There's gotta be some moment when they're not keeping you hostage."

Train laughed and smiled at his friends, silently thanking them for their kindness.

The group heard the school's warning bell go off. Eve gasped and took Sven by the wrist. "We gotta go! I head the sensei for Statistics is a real hard ass. He'll bite our heads off if we're late."

Sven blinked at her use of words. "Eve, you curse? Since when?"

Train snickered, "Yeah, since when has our little Princess used big boy words?"

Eve glared at him, "I'm old enough to say what I want." She tugged Sven, "Now come **on**! I don't want to be late."

As Eve dragged Sven away, Train couldn't help but shout out, "Hey, Sven! Now I know why you took that class!"

Statistics was usually a class meant for seniors, but that didn't stop Eve from taking it. It wasn't a surprise to her friends that she was able to get in as a sophomore. Train often referred to her as Einstein's long lost sister, while Eve said if he read more, he'd know more. Train frowned at that thought. He didn't like reading.

Saya laughed and slung an arm across Train's shoulder, humming the wedding march as she watched their friends depart. "They make a cute couple, don't they?"

Train nodded, "They will, once Sven makes his move. He's driving me nuts!"

Saya laughed and nodded in agreement. "Though… he's not the only one who needs to make a move…"

The tone of her voice confused Train, but before he could ask what she meant by that statement, she ran off to another part of the school. "My first class is in this building. I'll see you later, Train-kun!"

Train scowled at her nickname for him, "When will you stop calling me that?!"

The girl giggled and ran out of sight, "When you learn to grow up!"

The brunette sighed and turned in the opposite direction. His first class contained none of his friends. Well, none that he knew of. But, he could change that with a quick introduction to a few people. He was always good at making new friends.

As he slung his school bag over his shoulder, a sound coming from behind a wall caught his attention. Curiosity (which was a big part of his cat persona) caused him to peaked around the corner to where he heard the noise coming from. Just as his eyes met the wall, he saw a boy his age getting shoved against it by three other boys. Train watched in horror as the teen grunted in pain and slid slowly down the wall.

"HEY!" Train yelled to catch their attention.

The three who had thrown the kid against the wall looked at Train, scowling. Train was able to recognize them immediately: Baldor Fanghini, Kranz Maduke and Ash Hagar. He couldn't count how many times he had to defend someone against those three. Baldor was like his arch nemesis, since the bulky teen's hobby was to torment anyone he could get his hands on, and Train's was to fight back and protect the victims. Needless to say, they did not see eye to eye.

Baldor, smiled, "Oh, if it isn't Heartnet. Defender of the weak, protector of the downtrodden! I was wondering when you'd show."

Train glared at them as he stepped in front of the boy on the ground. "Leave him alone."

Baldor laughed and folded his arms, "No can do. Any other requests?"

Train paused and thought something over. "Well, I've always wanted a pony, but my mother never got me one." He smiled playfully at them, "If you can get me a pony, I'll let you go about your business. Can you get me a pony, boys?"

At the confused silence, Train laughed. "No? What a shame."

He kicked dirt in their eyes and watched as they sputtered. Baldor sent another glare at Train, before grunting to the others to leave. Train watched them go with a cocky smile on his face.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I must be getting good at this. Maybe I should get a theme song…" Train turned around and knelt down to the kid against the wall. "You all right?"

The boy in question had bright, silver hair and crystal, blue eyes which twinkled happily at him. The school uniform he wore looked like it was in good shape and actually worn properly. Well, before Baldor and company had gotten to him, that is. Now, it was torn in places and covered in dirt. His pale skin had turned a radiant shade of red and he was shaking slightly. The golden eyed teen frowned and titled his head to the side.

" _ **Are**_ you all right? You look kinda sick…"

The boy nodded, his face still holding the same awed look. Train shrugged and helped him up, noting that his palms were sweaty. His eyes moved over to the pale teen's wrist and widen in shock. He was wearing a bandage that looked like it was stained with dry blood.

Train pulled it closer and inspected the fabric, "Did they cut you?!" He asked, frightened.

The silver boy was blushing madly as he shook his head frantically. Train was unconvinced and took it upon himself to peak under the bandage. He sighed in relief as he saw no blood and no scar or cut. The bandage itself had lost most of its color. The threads of it were beginning to break apart and frizz to the sides, the tips of each curling with fellow strays. _Why is he wearing this? It's clearly old and the fact that it's been used makes it pointless to carry around. Not to mention unsanitary._

Before he could voice his question, he felt something mushy between his fingers. Looking back to the boy's hand, he noticed how muddy it was from when he had fallen. He made a disgusted noise and pulled his hand away. That was a task in itself, since the teen boy was holding it tightly. Once it was freed, he wiped it against his shirt and frowned at the small stain. _Great, gotta do another wash…_

The boy seemed to notice Train's discomfort and started to stutter, "I-I'm sorry, Train! I-I didn't mean to ruin on your shirt! I-I—"

Train put a hand up to stop the kid's babbling. "It's all right. A little mud never hurt anyone." He looked over his shoulder in the direction Baldor and his lackeys had run off to. "Dirt maybe, but not mud."

He heard the silver haired boy laugh and turned around. Train frowned in confusion, then asked, "Hey, wait, how'd you know my name?" Baldor said his last name, not his first.

The pale skin became red once more as Train stared at him. The Cat Boy moved his face a little closer to the other teen, making his blush stronger and seemingly taking all words from his mouth. The brunette frowned and squinted.

"Do I know you? Cause I feel like I should…"

The boy stammered again, "Y-you've defended me before… many times actually…"

Train put a hand to his chin, "Yeah, I guess I recognize you… but I feel like I'm forgetting something… Like I know you from somewhere else…"

Train saw he was about to answer, but was interrupted as the late bell rang. The brunette jumped and looked at his watch.

"Crap! Not good! Tanaka's gonna tear me to pieces if I'm late!"

He had Akemi Tanaka in his previous years, so he knew what she was like. She didn't exactly support tardiness, though she would tolerate it sometimes. Maybe he'd get lucky this time and she wouldn't yell… if he ran.

Train grabbed his school bag from where he had thrown it after chasing Baldor away, and ran to the door that just happened to be right next to them. _This kid picked a good spot to be bullied, this door leads right to her room._

Train's sprint was a short one, since his class was only two doors down. When he got to the room, he whipped the door open and looked around, seeing everyone was already there and seated. Instead of acting embarrassed, he simply caught his breath, smiled, waved, and sat down at the nearest desk. The tired teen didn't notice where his sensei was, until he heard someone speaking to him.

"Heartnet-kun, we have assigned seats here."

Train looked to the front of the room, where the voice had come from, to see a young lady with long, raven black hair and small reading glasses set at the bridge of her nose. She was quite petite, shorter than most of the female students, with tanned skin. Needless to say, she acquired many male student admirers over the years. She tapped her foot lightly as she held a rather large book, staring at Train impatiently. She taught every year of Japanese History and Train had her for each one.

The teen merely smiled once more and rubbed his head. "Do we now? Alphabetical I assume?"

At the woman's sarcastic smile and nod, Train gathered his things and stood. He frowned as he looked around the room. "You're gonna have to help me out here, I don't know a lot of these people."

"It's the one with the rose on it!" Exclaimed a student.

Train blinked at the random shout and turned around. He immediately saw a desk in the third row, forth seat back with a fully bloomed, red rose on it. The brunette walked over to the desk, leaping needlessly high over the backpacks on the ground, and elegantly picked the flower up.

"Looks like you've got a secret admirer," someone taunted from behind.

"Who's it from? Is there a note?" Someone else asked, excitedly.

Train shrugged and twirled the rose around his finger before sticking behind his ear, no worries about thorns, since he knew there were none. He was actually use to this. Every day he was welcomed to his classes with a flashy red rose, carefully freed of its thorns, on his desk. If there wasn't one on his desk, then he was sure to find one in his locker. It had been happening for the past… okay, well, Train actually couldn't remember how long this had been going on for, but it was a long time.

He was still insanely curious as to who they were from, but the hype had died down long ago. The only ones who ever really brought it up were the lower classmen, or those who didn't already know of the situation. Those were the ones asking him the questions he so effortlessly ignored. He was use to that too, so they had become very easy to ignore. _Still, I'd_ _ **really**_ _like to know who they're from…_

A snort from behind brought Train out of his stupor as he set his school materials on the desk, "You should have known it was your desk just from that, Cat Boy."

Train smiled as he swung himself over his desk. Turning around, he could see that sitting only a few desks behind his own, was none other than Baldor Fanghini.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Train questioned with a wide smile.

Baldor glared, "The only person that could ever like you, is an insane lunatic."

"The crazier the better, I always say," Train countered.

The sound of a book falling on a desk brought everyone's attention back to the front. Their sensei had purposely dropped the large book she was holding, halting all movement and conversation in the room.

She glared at Train and Baldor. "If it's all right with you two, I'd like to get the class started."

Before either could respond, the door opened again, revealing the same silver haired teen Train had helped out earlier. He stepped in, stopping at the door's entrance, keeping his eyes away from the class. The boy frowned at Tanaka as he approached her. In return, she smiled politely.

"Don't worry about it, Creed-kun. It's the first day, I'm not marking anyone late."

Train sighed in relief along with the boy, who smiled a little. His short moment of happiness quickly ended as Baldor spoke.

"Creed's such a stupid name. It clearly shows signs of a mother who hates her son. Call him Psycho, that suits him better."

The teen named Creed clenched his fists as several others laughed. His crystal blue eyes were showing a spark of red ignite within them as they glared to the titled floors. Train growled at the comment as well as the reaction. _And calling him Psycho is better? These kids are such bastards…_

Seeing the laughter continue and the teen looking ready to snap, Train spoke, "Actually I think his name is pretty cool. It's better than having a name that sounds like a girl's, _Baldorias."_

Laughter once again as Baldor growled. Train smiled smugly and continued, "Even that monstrous nickname you have for him beats your real one. Shows he has more character than you do. Well… even a dead worm has more life than your drone personality… so I guess that's a bad comparison."

The laughter in the room was loud enough to be heard in those surrounding it as Baldor began to grind his teeth. Not only were Train and Baldor on opposite social levels, Train was more clever than him, which was another addition to his cat-like personality. A fact which, of course, pissed Baldor off to no end. Even though he'd never admit to the truth of it. Baldor's insensitive comments earned him several giggles, but Train's counters always caused a riot of laughter.

_I think if it wasn't for his little ass kissing followers, **he'd** be the outcast. _Wherever there was a bully, there were always those willing to follow, in fear of becoming an outcast themselves. Train had quickly learned that fact over his years of acting as "The Hero".

The larger boy huffed in irritation, "You're hero persona is really wearing on my nerves… Why don't you just get a superman outfit and complete the stereotype?"

Again, Train smiled at him, "It's in the mail. Though, I'm a little worried about the chafing the tights might cause."

The kids in the room laughed louder than before as they pictured Train actually wearing a superman outfit. Train noted a particularly brilliant chuckle coming from the front of the room and turned his attention there. He smiled as he watched the blue eyed teen laugh. It always made him happy when those he defended found happiness in his jokes.

Creed looked at Train for a moment, the smile from his laughter still across his lips, then looked away quickly, blushing violently. Train frowned in confusion at the response, especially when he could have sworn he saw the teen's eyes move to the rose behind his ear…

Tanaka cleared her throat in hopes of calming the class down, "I can tell this is going to be a fun year. Creed-kun, could you please take your seat now? It's the second row, sixth seat."

Creed turned his eyes in the direction the sensei pointed, then widen them in panic. Looking to where he was supposed to sit, Train knew what upset him. It was seated right between both Baldor and Kranz. Just from this morning, Train could tell those two had given him a great deal of trouble.

The boy turned to the raven haired woman, eyes looking pleadingly at her. Again, she smiled warmly, "These seats are only temporary. I don't think I'll be able to keep everyone in their spots anyway. You'll all be allowed to pick your own seats after today."

The kids in the room quietly mumbled their shouts of joy, some giving others high fives over the news. Tanaka was popular for more than just her looks. She was an adult they could relate to, since she was still young. Train had talked to her when his parents died, and he was still grateful to her for that. A couple times, before Train moved into his apartment, she brought a meal to his house, just to make sure he had something to eat. He even remembered the prayer she said for his parents at their funeral…

That's why he was going to do the best he could this year to ace her class. He never failed, but he also never did too well in school and he wanted to repay her for all she had done for him. _And this time, I won't let her down. Well, at least I'll_ _ **try**_ _not to let her down…_ Train knew that was all she really wanted, even though she knew he always had tried. _Still, it's not the same. I'll repay her for her kindness._

Creed smiled at the sensei and walked over to his seat. When he walked past Train, the Cat Kid gave him a friendly smile, earning another blush. Train saw his eyes glance at the rose again, then stumbled a little as he hit a book bag on the floor.

"Watch where you're going, Psycho," grumbled a kid who adjusted his bag on the ground.

Creed's eyes held a hint of red again as he gripped the books he was holding tightly. Despite that reaction, Train was surprised when he saw Creed wasn't defending himself. The boy merely continued the journey to his seat, then set his book down on his desk. _The bag was in the middle of the floor, it wasn't his fault he almost tripped over it, yet he did nothing to defend himself._ From this morning, he could tell Creed got into a lot of fights, but after witnessing this, he could also tell the blue eyed boy **let** them hurt him. _Why would he do that? Did he give up hope? Or is it something else?_

Golden eyes glared at the kid whose bag was on the floor, then frowned at Creed as he dug materials out of his school bag, which Train noted looked similar to his. His clothes were still dirty from earlier, even though it was obvious he made some kind of attempt to clean himself up before attending class. Looking at his wrist, he noticed the old bandage had been re-tried and reset. Tanaka's voice brought his gaze back to the front.

"So, are we finally ready to begin?" She sighed in relief as her students nodded. "Good. I don't think I need to explain what this class is about, do I? I've had most of you before in previous levels." She glanced at Train and smiled, "Some of you in all four of them."

Train smiled back and placed his hands over his heart, "My heart beats only for you, sensei. I couldn't dream of being taught by another."

A few giggles ensued as the woman smiled, "My classes will become dull once you leave."

Train gave her a cheeky smile and spun a pen between his fingers. Tanaka turned to the board and began writing her name on it.

"As I stated earlier, these seats will not be permanent, but for a reason. I am going to assign you a project that will last the entire year and will count for fifty percent of your final grade."

Half of the class groaned in distress, Train being the loudest among them. Not many direct objections could be made though, since Tanaka had put her hand up to settle them.

"Before you go slitting you wrists, let me explain what the project is. You will be partnered with a fellow classmate, of my choosing, and pick from the following list of topics." She proceeded to write three topics on the board, then faced the class again, "No matter which one you choose, you will be asked to present it in front of the class. Twice a week, we will go to the library to do research during class, and I will ask you to spend at least an hour outside of school everyday, with your partner, to work on it. But on days when we go to the library, you don't _have_ to work on it after school, since the class period will be an acceptable amount of time."

Train gulped at that last statement. Did that mean they'd have to go to his apartment? _No, I could go to theirs. I don't think I have to worry about it, though. We'll need to be at a library anyway._ They were going to need books and information, both of which he didn't have.

"If your partner is not here on days we go to the library, you will work on it on your own. This project is no joke, you need to do your best. If you do not do this project, you **will** fail." She stopped so she could write the due date on the board. "Not only will you be working with your partner on the project, but you will also be working together on material we discuss in class. That's why for every class from this day forward, you will be sitting next to your partner."

Train gulped again. He promised he'd ace this class, but if he didn't get a partner he could work with, he was screwed. _Oh please, please,_ _ **please**_ _, don't let me be paired with that moose!_

A student raised their hand, which the sensei acknowledged, "But you said we'd get to choose our own seats. Doesn't this mean you're choosing them for us?"

Tanaka smiled deviously, "Yes and no. I will be assigning you partners, whom you will have to sit next to, but I am not assigning **where** you have to sit."

Train was able to smile through his nervousness. The raven haired beauty always had a way of misleading her students. _But, if you get paired with someone you don't get along with…_ Train shuddered at the idea of being partnered with Baldor. _Talk about Hell on Earth!_

Tanaka turned back around, dug through her briefcase and pulled out a sheet of paper. "I've already assigned you each a partner. Today, I want you to pick and discuss a topic."

As she began reading off names, Train crossed everything he was able to cross and shut his eyes tight. If he was paired with Baldor, or any of his lackeys he would seriously shoot himself.

"And Baldor Fanghini will be paired with Kranz Maduke."

Train let out a huge sigh and collapsed on his desk, "Oh, thank God!"

Baldor glared at Train, "It's not like I wanted to be paired with you either, Cat."

Train didn't lift his head, merely gave him a thumbs up and let his hand fall back down. He didn't really care who he was paired with, as long as it wasn't anyone of, or relating to Baldor Fanghini.

His sensei's carefree voice entered his ears, "I wouldn't pair you with Baldor, Train. That would be a suicide mission, and I want you to do well this year, as I'm sure you do."

Train clasped his hands together, looking at her sincerely. "I promise I will be do my best, sensei, and thank you for not pairing me with that moose!"

"Hey!" Baldor shouted back as his peers giggled quietly.

Train ignored him in favor of watching the woman. She smiled and nodded, "I know that, that's why I've given you the student with the highest marks in your class."

Train didn't know who that was, since he was probably somewhere in the lower half of his class. It's not that he was stupid or didn't care, he just didn't have the time to study as much as he wanted to. And it wasn't like he was at the very bottom either, just not at the top.

"Works for me. Who is it?"

Tanaka smiled, "The very boy you were defending earlier. Creed Diskenth."

Train looked behind him at the boy, who was frozen solid. His body was shaking slightly, face paler than before, and his eyes were unblinking. _I think he_ _ **is**_ _sick, he looks like he's about to pass out._ Still, behind all that shock, Train could see a definite, absolute happiness and gratification in his eyes. As he turned back to face front, he noted how his sensei was smiling warmly at Creed.

Looking at Tanaka, he nodded, "Top of the class? Cool, I'm in!"

Kranz scoffed, "You actually _want_ to be partnered with that psycho? You're insane, Heartnet."

Train turned his gaze to Kranz and smiled his cheeky smile, "Don't sound so irritated, Maduke, you should be happy about this. Now you can stick your head even further up your beloved Baldor's ass."

Kranz growled, "My head is _**not**_ up _**anyone's**_ ass."

"Oh, that's right, you've pushed it so far up there, it's coming out his mouth."

The room was filled with laughter again as both Baldor and Kranz fumed. Train didn't care. He was paired with a smart kid, and that would definitely help keep his grade up. Plus, it was the opportunity to make a new friend. He already knew they had a common ground: a hatred of Baldor and everything he stands for. Yep, this was a good start.

After the teacher finished pairing everyone, she told them all to meet with their partner and begin discussing their topic. Train grabbed his books and walked over to Creed, noticing the teen was still staring in shock, only this time, it was at Train instead of the teacher.

As Train approached Creed, he smiled and swung himself on the desk in front of the boy, sitting on it backwards. The brunette teen pulled out his book and spread all his materials on the desk. As he set himself up, he could feel eyes upon him. Looking up, he noticed Creed had been watching him the whole time, with a sort of surreal look on his face.

Train cocked an eyebrow at the look as the teen continued staring at him. He leaned forward on his hands, rather closely to Creed's face, and stared back at the boy, causing him blush again. _Why is he always so red?_

The Cat laughed a little and gave him a cheeky smile as he stared, "You want a staring contest or something?"

Creed blinked rapidly at Train's question, "N-no…"

Train raised his eyebrow again, "Then what's with all the staring?"

He seemed at a loss for words and instead chose to open his book and pull out a pen. As the boy began to jot notes down, Train thought it looked like he was putting an effort into not looking at him, but the blush never left his white cheeks. He also noted how a lot of his notes didn't seem to be very coherent.

"I-if it's okay with you, I-I've actually already picked a topic for us," he stammered, continuing to write.

Train blinked at the teen in front of him. "That quick? She just gave them to us two minutes ago. How'd you decide so fast?"

Creed crossed something out, or at least pretended to, and wrote something else back down, "I talked to the sensei before hand and learned about the assignment. I had more time to pick one out."

Train scratched his head in confusion, "Why'd you talk to her about the project so soon?"

Creed paused. He seemed to be trying to think up an answer, but was having trouble doing so. The pale boy began to sweat slightly and his face showed clear signs of worry. The tip of his pencil broke, since his shaking hand had begun to push down too hard. Train frowned at the clear signs of distress and ended his torment before he went over the edge.

"You don't gotta tell me if you don't wanna, it's cool. Let's just get to work. Which one did you choose?"

Creed blinked as he lifted his head to meet Train's gaze. "You're… gonna go with whatever I picked…?"

The shock and awe in Creed's voice confused Train. "Sure, why not? It's not like you've done something to make me distrust you." He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as he spoke, "Besides, I didn't have any idea which one to pick anyway. I actually _wanted_ the other person to pick the topic, less pressure for me. Doesn't matter to me which one we do."

Train leaned forward again, ripping out a piece of paper from his notebook and grabbing his pen. "So, which one did you choose?"

He looked curiously at his partner, slanting his lips in puzzlement at the serene look on his face. _Hm, he_ _ **is**_ _a little weird. Oh well, doesn't bother me. He seems like a good guy._

Seeing as the boy was staring again, his eyes holding that twinkling happiness, Train waved his hand in an attempt to snap him out of it. It seemed to work as Creed blinked and shook his head slightly. Train couldn't help but laugh at the small blush that formed across his cheeks.

"You zone a lot. I hope that doesn't effect our project," Train said in a joking manner.

Creed's face turned determined. "Don't worry, Train, I won't fail. I don't allow myself to fail."

Train blinked at the serious tone he used, then laughed, "That's the spirit! I guess I get why you're the top of the class." Train leaned forward and ruffled his hair, "Good to have someone like you as a partner."

Creed's face turn beat read again as Train's fingers ran across his hair. When he pulled back, Creed smiled brightly and showed Train his paper. "I chose sensei's third option: pick your own and have it approved by her. I decided to do the history of the samurai."

Train considered that idea, "Hmm… That's actually pretty good. I think I can get interested in that."

Creed was blushing again. "You… really like that idea?"

The brunette cocked an eyebrow at Creed. _Why does he sound so amazed?_ "Yeah, I like it. I think that's a cool topic. What made you want to do it?"

The pale face was still slightly red, but he smiled brightly, apparently happy at Train's acceptance. He began to fidget slightly, playing with his pen between his fingers. "Well… I've always been interested in swords and… the samurai fighting style… I just find it… fascinating…"

Train chuckled, "Yeah, we should be able to find a lot of stuff on that. Plus, I like it. Good choice, partner."

Train was beginning to think that Creed's face could be nothing but red. The silver haired boy smiled as he opened his book, flipping through the pages hurriedly. After a few minutes he stopped, landing on a certain page. He pointed to the open book and smiled at Train. The golden teen looked down to read a chapter entitled: Samurai, The Beginning.

"You've already made notes?" Train said as he eyed the pages. Certain sentences were highlighted and notes were scribbled throughout.

Creed nodded, fingering through the pages, "Our assigned book has tons of stuff. I read it real quick before class and learned a lot from that."

The brunette's lips curved down into a frown, remembering what happened this morning. "Was that before those goons attacked you?"

Seeing the look on his partner's face, Train stared to think bringing that incident up was a bad idea. The pale boy stared at the paper before him, motionless and silent. His eyes looked distant, as if he was watching something he wished he didn't see. Before Train could apologize or change the subject, Creed spoke.

"Actually… it was the reason it happened…" His voice was hesitant, as if he was afraid to talk. "Baldor and them… they were… teasing me cause I was reading. I read a lot, I'm in the library a lot. So… they poke fun at me for it…"

Train noticed the choice words he used. He could tell Creed was sensitive about the topic, so he decided to handle it with care. "Well, I think it's a good thing you read a lot."

Creed looked at him skeptically. Train gave him a friendly smile and continued, "For one thing, it got you to the top of the class, right?"

The silver teen smiled embarrassedly and shyly looked away, "I… guess…"

"Of course it did! Also, it makes it easy for you to get around the library, right? So, we won't have to spend hours searching for information. Plus, I bet you've read up on this before, since it interests you. And, it's good for _me_ since—"

"You don't like reading?" Creed asked, looking curiously back at him.

Train smiled, embarrassedly, "Yeah, not my style… Never had the attention span for it…" He blinked, realizing Creed had finished his sentence for him, "Wait, how'd you know I don't like reading?"

Creed's face turned red again, and he went back to highlight and making notes, "S-sensei's already approved this topic for me. So, if you like it, we're set."

Train watched as Creed made unnecessary marks and comments, more like he was just finding something for his hands to do. As if sensing Creed's tension, the bell went off, signaling for the next class to start and cutting Train off before he could question Creed anymore.

Shrugging his shoulders, the golden eyed boy flipped his legs back around the desk and gathered his materials. He didn't even have to use them, since Creed was organized beyond what he had expected. _Well, I can tell this project will go well._ _I think I got lucky this time!_

Creed looked up at him, confusing Train with the slightly sad look he got. Train smiled and offered him a hand.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Creed. I have a feeling we'll get along just fine."

Train groaned from the pain shooting through his feet as he made his way to his apartment. When he reached it, he pulled out a key, then looked down to the space between the floor and his door. He could see a familiar stack of paper sticking out, welcoming him home. After a few more minutes of just staring at the money, he finally bent down to pick it up.

Once a week, he found half a months worth of rent sticking out from under his door. He never knew where it came from, but he was silently thankful it was there. It saved him from being kicked out on numerous occasions and he'd actually become sort of dependent on the secret source of money…

_I wish I knew who it was from… Then again if I did, I'd probably be stupid enough to tell them to stop…_

He sighed as he walked through the door, dropping his school bag on the floor. The sun had set long ago, since home was not his destination after school. Saya asked him if he wanted to see a movie after school, but he declined. He had to go to work, so he left the second the final bell rang. _Good thing I was able to finish all my homework at lunch. I'm too beat to do it now. Though… it's probably completely wrong._

The rest of Train's school day had gone pretty much uneventfully. Since he knew he didn't have to work until later in the day, he made plans with Creed to get together after school the next day. Train was still trying to figure out why the idea made Creed's face brighted enough to out shine the sun. _Not only that, he held my hand really tight when I shook it. Not to mention it was hard to pull free._

It was like this morning when Train helped him stand. Both his reaction and unwillingness to let go, were identical. He was blushing constantly and his eyes seemed to hold a powerful, awed look all the time. _I have a feeling he'll be confusing me a lot, he seemed like he was hiding something. Well_ — _whatever it is_ — _it has nothing to do with me, so it's none of my business._ As long as they worked well together on the project, Train was happy.

He walked into to his room and flipped the light on. Looking at the clock, he noticed it was three in the morning. He groaned loudly and slouched. _Great, only four more hours until school…_

The teen kicked his shoes off, then slid his pants to the floor, pushing them to the side with his feet. He yanked his shirt off as well, throwing it in the same direction as his other garments, not really watching where they landed. He didn't have the money for clothes to sleep in, so this is what he usually did every night. He did have a torn up shirt he sometimes wore, but he was too tired to fish it out.

Sliding into bed, he wrapped his blanket tightly around himself and stared blankly out the window at the twinkling stars. Sleep did not take him like he wished it would, it usually wouldn't for several hours. His brain always found it fun to tease him with the same thoughts every night, subtracting from his already diminutive hours of sleep. Though, it never made a difference when he did fall asleep, since it was always accompanied by nightmares. He would contemplate if the choice he made was the right one, or if there was another path, or even a hero of his own…

Despite all his friends, all the people surrounding him, he was completely on his own. Taking this all on by himself seemed like a good idea at the time, but he never realized how lonely that path would be… It hurt to watch all his friends live their lives normally together, while he struggled every day to make sure he had a place to sleep and something to eat. The pain of seeing Sven, Eve and Saya make weekend plans he could not be part of, was almost devastating.

But, he knew they weren't excluding him, he was excluding himself. It was _his_ fault he was lonely. It was _his_ stupid pride that cut him out of the loop. His friends had offered him help and tried many times to get him join them, but he always turned them down. He was beginning to worry he'd completely alienate himself from them. But, that didn't outweigh the fear of losing their respect if they found out he failed to keep his promise. Ever since his parents were killed, they always complemented him on his strength, bravery and independence. He didn't want to lose that respect… even if it cost him something more precious…

Train growled and fluffed his pillow angrily as the thoughts continued. Even though he knew it was his fault, it didn't change the fact that there was no one to understand him. No one to go home to at night. No one to relate to, to talk to about how much the loss of his parents hurt. He had trouble sleeping at night, because he missed his mother's voice singing him that song. The voice that scared away bad dreams and hushed him to sweet ones. He actually missed the chores his father made him do. The way he would yell at Train for doing a half assed job on taking the garbage out, or cleaning the table. _I never realized how much I enjoyed all the stuff until they were gone…_

He missed it all. The fights, the laughter, the good, the bad. He wanted it all back. He wanted his parents back, and his life back. He wanted them to walk through his door with those warm, loving smiles on their faces and take him back to their comfortable house, letting him know everything was going to be all right and he didn't have to take care of himself alone anymore. He wanted to walk through the door to the smell of dinner being made and the call of his mother to get the table ready for when his dad got home.

But what he missed most of all… was that unconditional love no one else had ever given him. _What I would give, just feel that one more time…_

Tears had become easy to force back at this point. Train could give lessons on how to keep that unwanted salty substance from your eyes, though in actuality, it probably would have felt good to cry… He had taken so much for granted, and he swore to never do it again. He wouldn't show his pain. He couldn't, he needed to be strong for everyone. Now that his parents were gone, _he_ had to be the rock. But, even a rock needs support now and then, right? Who was supposed to be _his_ rock…?

Just like all the other nights, the answer didn't come. It didn't matter, he needed to get to sleep anyway, since his usual thought process had seized. He could squeeze in a decent three hours. That was enough to get through a day. It's not like the answer would come anytime soon. Wrapping the blankets tightly around himself, he allowed his eyes to slowly close, silently praying tonight wouldn't bring nightmares…


	3. The Second Spirit

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

* * *

** The Second Spirit **

Creed smiled happily as he looked himself over in his full length mirror, smoothing his hair and school uniform out until they were unwrinkled, and silky to the touch. The silver haired teen had woken up extra early, in order to get properly prepared for the day. It was seven in the morning, and he had already spent several hours standing in front of that cracked glass that called itself a mirror.

He didn't care how broken it was, the cracked class was still in good enough shape to do its job, and he wanted to look perfect for today. It wasn't like he could just go out a buy a new one, anyway. These things cost money. Money he didn't have.

He shrugged his shoulders. Things like mirrors and money didn't matter. Well, at least today they didn't, he was in an uncharacteristically good mood. It was the first morning in his life that he had ever woken up with a smile already plastered on his face. Every little detail had to be perfect. Nothing was allowed to go wrong, because this was going to be a great day.

After all, it wasn't every day he got to actually spend alone time with his hero.

Yesterday, Train had said they could meet after school the next day for a few hours to get started on their project. The minute his beloved said that, he couldn't hold his excitement for the upcoming "date". It was all he could think about. He even had a dream about him and Train working together for hours on end, talking, laughing…

It ended with something Creed was sure was out of his reach, but hey, it was a dream, right? Dreams did whatever they wanted. They made fantasies come true, they took people to worlds they could call their heaven. They could make all the pain in the world go away, and replace it with peaceful bliss.

Creed chuckled. _Dreams are a lot like Train…_

He sighed heartily as he let his thoughts drift off to his hero. It wasn't odd at all for Creed to be thinking about his Cat all day and night. Train was really the only thought he ever had. Every minute of every day, his thoughts centered around that charming boy with the dark, brown hair and hypnotizing, golden, cat eyes…

A smile crept across his lips as he shut his eyes and focused all his senses on Train.

Even during class, all he did was watch his savior. All the classes were easy anyway, he didn't really need to pay attention to get the straight As all the teachers obsessed over. And it was perfect that he had every class with Train. Not that that was just a coincidence. It was just something Creed had used all his sources and influences in the school's system to set up.

Ever since he was able to pick his own classes, he had based them on the ones Train took. He was eligible to take the honors courses, but since Train didn't take them, neither did Creed. He couldn't handle a class without the presence of Train. It was probably the reason for his high grades. Not only was it comforting to his heart and mind to have his beloved close, but to his physical well being as well.

When Train wasn't around, he was tormented beyond belief. Creed could be picked on until he snapped, and attacked. That always ended poorly, since Baldor and company would jump him all at once. He couldn't take on that many kids at the same time, so it always left him a broken mess.

But, every bully in the school knew that Train wouldn't tolerate their actions against students like him, so just by being there, Train was able to scare off even Baldor. The blue eyed boy didn't know what he would do without Train. He might have completely broken a long time ago…

 _What good are higher classes when I'm not able to see Train? He's the only reason I even go to school!_ Creed frowned deeply. There would be no reason to be at that place if Train wasn't there. He probably would have dropped out long ago, and ran far away if it wasn't for his hero.

That's why he had pretty much begged his sensei to pair him with Train, and she seemed to give in quite easily. Just like his love, he had Tanaka every year before. She knew Creed, and Creed was pretty sure she knew of his feelings for Train. She had seen him put a rose in Train's desk every day for the past however many years he had had her as a sensei.

Creed always had an interest in flowers, even before he met Train. When he was just a boy, he found a small area in the back of his apartment building that was just the right size for a garden. Roses were his favorite, so he wasted no time in starting a small rose patch.

Originally, it was meant to just give him something to do, and help keep his mind off life. After meeting Train, it had become a little shrine to his beloved. Every flower was nurtured and loved into full bloom, then given to his hero. Though Train never said anything, he could tell he appreciated the gesture.

_Well, it's not like he **can** say anything, since he doesn't know who the flowers are from…_

He smiled to himself and checked the mirror once more. Straightening his tie again for good measure, he nodded approvingly and left his room. He had spent so much time worrying about how he looked that he almost forget he needed to eat. _Great, I'll have to re-brush my teeth…_ That alone took Creed twenty minutes. His gums even bled a little.

It was a short distance to his kitchen, since the apartment he lived in was small, really only meant for one person, but held two: him and his mother. What he referred to as his room wasn't really a room. In actuality, he wasn't sure what it originally was. His mother had thrown anything she deemed useless into that room, and didn't give them another thought.

_Perhaps that's the reason I sleep there…_

Needless to say, Creed and his mother did not get along. Saying they fought like cats and dogs was a major understatement. They made fights between pro wrestlers seem like simple mud fights between two infants, and he had the scars to prove it.

With that in mind, Creed pulled his sleeve down a little, covering a new scar he had earned by coming home after school yesterday. _I know she doesn't like the fact that I exist, but really, is that a reason to waste a perfectly good dinner plate just to cause me harm? She even yelled at me for breaking her china!_ Not that it was any nicer than the apartment was, she just wanted to find a reason to yell at Creed.

Creed sighed as he opened the refrigerator door. He knew he wasn't what you would call a "planned" child. His mother's choice in career was proof of that. Still, she had made the decision to have him. She had gone through the process of giving birth. Why would she go through all that, just to mercilessly torture the life she created?

 _Cause she's insane, that's why. I've been out of the house for weeks on end before, and every time I come home, she just kicks me back out._ That didn't bother him too much anymore. He found the perfect place to go to when that happened. It was better than staying in the Hell Hole meant to be his home.

 _She says life always goes so much better for her when I'm not around…_ _That's probably how it is for everyone…_

He heard a door opened and turned around to see it was that of his mother's. His face remained emotionless as a man in his late forties step out and zip his pants up. He then slid a blue T-shirt over his head and flattened it against his chest. Creed recognized this man, though he didn't know his name. He seemed to be one of that woman's most loyal costumers, seeing as he came to visit at least once a week.

 _I didn't seem him come in last night. I wonder when he got here?_ Creed brushed the thought aside. It didn't matter, and he didn't care. He was use to it by now.

Giving Creed a quick glance, the man made his way towards the door, slipping his shoes on before grabbing the doorknob. Just before he left, he turned back around, and looked Creed square in the eye.

"Tell your mother I left her money on her dresser. I'm in a rush, so I couldn't give it to her myself."

Creed didn't even bother to nod, since he never went out of his way to speak to his mother, or her "clients". He didn't want to, nor did he need to.

With a wave and a strange smile, the man left. "See you later, boy."

For some reason, the look the man gave him sent a shiver down his spine. There was something about his smile that was unnerving, and the glint in his eyes that was almost… perverted.

Creed felt like cobwebs had been dropped on him, and shook his body in order to rid himself of the feeling.

Hearing the door leading to his mother's room burst open again, slamming against the wall behind it, Creed's eye drifted back to the entrance of the cave. His gift was a lovely few of his mother's half naked, messy form rubbing her face tiredly.

Her makeup was already running down her face, but the fact that her hand was smudging it, did not make it any better. Strands of greasy, blonde hair shadowed her eyes. Creed could tell what she had done last night just by her smell. Again, it didn't bother him all that much, since he was use to that as well.

Between fingers, she looked at Creed and scowled. "Izo left, didn't he?"

Creed could only assume that Izo was that "pleasant" man who just left. Though he knew it was pointless, the teen nodded his head, keeping his mouth shut.

She scowled again, "Then where's the money he was supposed to give me? Did you take it?"

Again, Creed merely shook his head, face remaining emotionless.

It was almost funny to hear his mother's smoker voice growl, "Liar! I know you took it. You're a useless brat who takes me for all I'm worth! You're the reason so few men come around here! You're the reason I have no money! You're the reason I'm lonely and miserable! You're the reason my life is in ruins!"

That managed to get something out of Creed, and he clenched his fists in fury. _So she's jumping right into it already, huh? The sun's barely out and she's already finding ways to piss me off…_

He narrowed his eyes at the woman, "I take you for all you're worth? What have you given me? I get my own money with my own **legitimate** jobs. _**I**_ buy my own food, _**I**_ pay for my school expenses, and _**I**_ buy my own clothes. What have you done for me, other than bring me into this Godforsaken world—which I'm positive we both regret. You can't say you've given me this apartment, since you throw me out of it every chance you get."

Creed turned back around, ignoring how red the woman's face was growing and continued his argument. "And have you ever considered that no one comes to "visit" you because you're a filthy whore who's most likely infested with every disease known to man? You're bitterness is your own damn fault. Because, I'm pretty sure you were a whore before you had me, mother."

The teen glanced over his shoulder, giving her another strong glare, allowing the hatred he felt for the woman to shine brightly in his crystal, blue eyes. "I didn't ruin your life, you did that all on your own."

Her face had turned purple from anger as she snarled at her son. She grabbed a lamp that sat on a nearby table, throwing it at Creed, who swiftly dodged. He had gotten pretty good at avoiding objects being thrown at him, since he often had to throughout his childhood.

"You lying, little piece of trash! How dare you speak to me that way?!" She screamed, her glare burning a hole through his skull.

Still ignoring her words, Creed turned back around and continued his hunt for food. "He left it on your dresser. If you don't believe me, go look for yourself."

Something smashed against the refrigerator door, causing it to be ripped out of Creed's hand and shut tight. Peaking over his shoulder, he saw the one called his mother looming over him, her hand keeping the door closed.

Her eyes turned into narrow, snake-like slits, hatred made of venom pouring from them. "Don't you dare eat my hard earned food!"

Creed rolled his eyes, "Nothing in the world could make me even think about eating _your_ food. I'm eating the food I bought with _my_ money."

"You mean _my_ money! Your little story about having a job is complete bull, you get your money by stealing it from me."

"I wouldn't touch your dirty money with a ten foot pole," Creed replied coolly.

Before Creed could react, she raised her hand high, before bringing it down quickly and slapping him hard across the face. "Get out, you rotten little thief!"

Creed's hand clasped his cheek, which he was sure had turned a bright shade of red in the shape of his mom's hand. Giving her a short glare, he gracefully turned around, grabbed his bag and left the apartment. He didn't care, he had to go to school anyway. He wanted to get there before Train did. As for food, he was use to not eating. The most he'd eat in a day, was at lunch… which still was never that much.

Yes, Creed needed money. His mother did pay the rent—sometimes with something other than money—but that was it. The rest of her money went towards _her_ needs, _her_ wants, _her_ desires. Creed never got what he wanted… Always had it taken away…

He cringed slightly as a thought entered his mind. The one thing he wanted, yet could never have… taunting him every day and night to the point of insanity.

The boy violently shook his head as he stepped outside, forcing the thought from his mind, allowing them to trail back to his mother and his living situation. It wasn't like he lived in that apartment anyway. He only came home to sleep, and even then it was only about forty percent of the time. He was constantly thrown out, and his secret little spot was **much** more attractive.

Still, even with two jobs and no rent to pay, it was hard to get enough supplies for himself, since one of his checks went to Train.

Creed knew about Train's situation. He knew Train lost the house he grew up in, and was having trouble paying rent. So, Creed got the second job for him—to help his love. He knew his Cat was too proud and stubborn to accept help from anyone else, that's why it was all done in secret. His savior would reject the help if Creed offered it to his face.

Every week, the same day and time, Creed would slip into his beloved's apartment building and secretly give him the weekly paycheck he earned at one of his jobs. He'd stay for a while after that, just to make sure Train found the check and got inside safely, then walked back to his own "home".

Though he could tell what he gave was helping Train, he could also tell it was still hard on his Cat to get by, and he wished he could give him more…

So yes, he did need money, but as much as he needed it, he wasn't about to take it from his mother. It was covered in her smell and lathered in dirt. Train deserved better than that. Train deserved money that was earned through actual work… by someone who loved and cared deeply for him…

Creed was that person. He knew everything about Train's life. He knew no one knew how he was living, that he had no one to lean on, and he was relying on his own strength to get him through his pain. Ever since that fateful day when his hero walked into his life, he had kept a close eye on him. He kept him safe, gave him anything he ever needed, wanted or desired. He did it all just to see him smile.

He was happy to note that his efforts didn't go un-rewarded. Train had been happy. Creed got to see that smile every day of his life. His Cat had a loving family, good friends and a warm environment. Even with all of Creed's misfortunes, he was happy knowing the love of his life was happy.

But, both his and Train's happiness ended the day his parents were murdered. That day, was the first day in his life Creed didn't see Train smile once. His face was blank, emotionless. Train had always been so full of life, so happy. His happy-go-lucky love had been drained and left an empty vessel. After that day, everything became dark for both of them…

Seeing Train like that completely destroyed Creed. He was numb all over when he saw his love cry at the foot of his parents' grave. He couldn't understand the pain of loss, since he never had anything to lose. But that day, Creed felt that pain— _his_ pain—because the moment he saw the emptiness in his hero's eyes, Creed felt as though he had lost Train…

The teen remembered watching Train that day—all day—from the shadows. Everyone else had left long ago, leaving Train alone with his deceased parents. His face was stained with tears, which were still flowing down his cheeks and into his mouth, matching the rapid pace of the rain. His beautiful, golden eyes were blood shot and glassy. The soft, chocolate brown hair was flattened against his face, making him look as if he were five years old.

He wanted to run up to Train, wrap his arms around him and take care of him for eternity. He hated how he did none of that. All he did… was watch. He was too afraid to move, unable to figure out what he could do. After all, Train didn't know who he was, he probably would have been freaked out it a stranger held him as he cried. It might have only increased his pain.

 _But it also could have decreased it…_ It was a regret Creed was forced to live with, since there was nothing he could do to make it better.

But as he stood behind that tree watching Train, he heard him whisper something. A promise to his parents. A promise that he'd take care of himself, make them proud. A promise to live his life alone as an adult, and take care of everything.

It both warmed and broke Creed's heart. He didn't want his Cat taking on such a responsibility. That's when he made yet another decision: to help Train keep his promise, no matter what the cost. After all, even promises need help sometimes.

After that, the silver haired boy watched the brunette teen even wanted to bore that pain of Train's himself. He wanted to give Train his heart, his soul, his entire being, just so he wouldn't feel another ounce of pain. To suck every bit of hurt in his whole being out, so he would never hurt again.

Though he could still see the sadness in his heart, Creed knew Train had gotten better over time. He began to smile again, and laugh. His happy-go-luck nature had returned, and his naïve, positive side was still in tact. Creed was once again amazed by Train's strength and courage. Something which Creed wished he himself had…

He found himself lost in his thoughts of Train again, smiling dreamily as people walked around him to get by. He was unaware that he had actually approached the school, until he heard the voice that played in his dreams every night.

Snapping his head up, he noticed Train and his friends gathered around their usual spot before school, laughing and chatting. Creed smiled as he watched Train, happy he could see his beloved laugh so merrily, then sighed, remembering how Train had saved him the other day.

A happy smile spread across lips as he looked at his beloved. _I got to touch him…_ He looked down at his hand, as if he could still see Train's wrapped around it. Just like when he first met Train, he didn't want to let go.

Looking back up, his happiness ended as he saw the girl named Saya—supposedly Train's best friend—link her arm with his Cat's.

That caused Creed to clench his fist in rage and grind his teeth. He was a distance away from everyone else and slightly behind a tree, so no one saw him, or heard the loud growl he let loose. He had been noticing how much more friendly that girl was getting with Train lately and, even though he knew the boy was out of his league, he didn't like her coziness with him one bit.

He continued to watch furiously as Saya laughed at his jokes, and made every form of physical contact she could. _She has no rights to him! What has she done for him? Nothing! He doesn't even trust her enough to tell her anything about his life!_ Not that he trusted Creed enough to tell _him_ about his life. Creed had to find that out on his own. But at least he cared enough to do that much.

It was the principle of the thing. He knew about Train's situation and still loved him completely. Nothing could shake, or match his love. He had done _**everything**_ for Train, given him everything, helped him, watched over him… _No one else has done that for him since his parents died…_

Seeing the girl mess with Train's hair, Creed got the sudden urge to throw a rock at her. Before he could act on his impulse, the bell rang, alerting everyone's attention towards the school. Creed frowned sadly as he saw Train turn and wave bye to his friends, growling as Saya followed behind.

He whimpered, reaching out towards Train as he watched him go. _Why did I ever let go…? I should have held his hand tighter the first time he saved me all those years ago…_

Every day since the day he met Train, Creed regretted releasing the scared limb. It felt like, in the process, he was releasing Train himself. Allowing the love of his life to slip through his fingers, and out of his life. Allowing someone else the opportunity to take him away… Back then, he didn't know what the feeling was, but he did now, and regret had become his best friend…

Creed sighed sadly, but smiled as the memory of the other day resurfaced. Not only did he get to touch Train, he actually was able to have a semi-conversation with him. That was always hard for him, since he always turned into a mumbling mess when Train spoke directly to him. _I'm like a school girl with a crush._

The blue eyed boy covered his face as he felt it turn red. That thought was very embarrassing, since it was the truth…

 _Not today. Today, I'm gonna talk to him_ — _normally. I'm gonna make a conversation that'll last and not make me look like a fool._

That thought in mind, Creed straightened up and walked into the school. He was determined to make some progress with Train. To show his beloved that there was more to Creed. To show Train that he even existed!.

It was pretty obvious that, up until yesterday, Train didn't remember his name, even after all the times he had saved him. As painful as that knowledge was, it was true. But, it was something Creed was going to change. He _needed_ to change it, because he needed Train's attention. He needed to have those golden eyes upon him, for Train to know his name, know he existed… and maybe even know how much he was loved.

_How do I get his attention? What gets someone like Train Heartnet's attention?_

He made a mental list of all the things Train liked. _He loves hanging out with his friends and pulling pranks on people…My Cat is very mischievous. Milk, food, high places… What else…?_

His list was cut short as he collided with something solid. Stumbling back slightly, Creed looked up to see the last person in the world he wanted to see. Standing at least a foot taller than him and glaring down at him, was Baldor. Creed looked up at him, returning what was one of the dirtiest glares he had ever received—which was saying something since he had seen every disrespectful look known to man.

"Watch where you're going, Psycho!" Baldor glared even harder, if that were possible as he looked down at Creed.

Just as Creed was about to more away when a light bulb clicked in his head. _Train likes saving people! That's how I can get his attention!_

The silver boy smiled deviously and looked his bully straight in the eyes. "Sorry, but it's just so hard to miss a moose like you."

Baldor's eyes widened at Creed's comment. "What did you say?!"

"Were my words too big for you? Would you like me to dull it down?"

Creed suddenly found himself being shoved against the locker behind him, right beside the door to his first class. Baldor's hand gripped at his shirt tightly, lifting the smaller teen off the floor slightly as he leaned close to his face. Creed could tell he really pissed the boy off, he never went to physical actions so quickly.

"You got some mouth on you today, kid… You trying to start a fight with me?" He suddenly looked at Creed's cheek which was beginning to bruise in the shape of a feminine hand. "Oh, what's this? Looks like someone beat me to the punch—literally. Well, it doesn't surprise me that I'm not the only one that thinks the world would be better off without a piece of trash like you "

That was officially enough to make Creed forget the reason he had gotten into this mess. He gripped Baldor's wrist tightly, digging his nails deep into his skin, cutting through the tough flesh. The teen could feel his eyes burning a bright red as he snarled at Baldor. Unable to move from his position against the wall, but needing to harm the boy in some way, Creed worked up all the saliva he could in his mouth, and spat a thick gob of mucus right in the bully's face.

Baldor cried out in discomfort and threw Creed to the side, rubbing his face with the back of his hand while clutching the wrist Creed made bleed. The blue eyed teen readied himself for collusion with the hard floor, but we surprised when an arm caught him, stopping him in mid air.

Blinking, Creed looked down at the arm, instantly recognizing it. He shot his head up quickly, hope shinning in his eyes and happiness painted across his face. Standing there, holding him with a look of determination on his face, was the boy whose attention he sought.

Saying Train was beautiful was an understatement. His golden eyes radiated bright with power and pride. The pearly skin that sparkled in the light of the school brought out the darkness of his hair and the hint of brown hidden deep within his eyes. It may have just been Creed, but he could have sworn it was blowing in the wind.

 _Just like a super hero… **my**_ _super hero. He needs a cape…_ Creed decided that he was going to make Train a cape.

Baldor's words were forgotten within seconds as he watched his super hero with adoring eyes. Creed knew his face was a bright red as he looked down at Train's arm, which was loosely wrapped around his chest, leaning him back slightly as if they just finished a beautiful dance.

Train looked down and smiled a soothing smile meant to ease his mind. Creed tried to smile back, but by the time he snapped out of his daze enough to force his lips upwards, the boy's attention was already drawn back to Baldor.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't moving vehicles supposed to yield to pedestrians?" Train asked Creed's attacker with his usually cheeky smile.

Baldor cocked an eyebrow at the brunette. "What's that supposed to me?"

Train laughed and set Creed straight, releasing his hold on him. Creed frowned at the change of position, but smiled as his beloved continued to laugh.

"If I need to explain that one to you, than you're even dumber than I thought you were."

Baldor growled and stepped into the classroom , apparently not in the mood for Train's remarks. "Whatever, just don't mess with me, Psycho, or next time you'll get a real beating."

Train put his arm around Creed's neck, pulling him down just enough so the silver head was level with his chest. Creed's entire body caught on fire at the feel and smell of his beloved being so close.

"How about next time you just leave my partner alone? I need this kid," Train called back as used his fist to mess Creed's hair.

 _He **needs** me?! _Creed could feel himself shaking with excitement and felt himself beginning to sweat. Not only was Train paying attention to him and touching him, but he remembered how they had been made partners yesterday. The plan to get his attention had worked, and better than he thought it would.

Much to Creed's displeasure, Train let go and straightened himself up. "He's pretty grouchy today, wouldn't you say?"

Creed wasn't sure if Train was talking to him or to himself, but he decided to answer anyway. Just as he was about to open his mouth, another voice spoke.

"Maybe it's mating season for moose. He could be in heat."

Creed looked over his shoulder to see the very girl he did **not** want hanging around his Train. Apparently, she had walked to class with him. Creed growled as the girl approached and stood next to Train, peeking through the classroom to where Baldor was sitting.

Train laughed and looked in as well. "Maybe his little boyfriend dumped him, so he's not getting any. That's a hard thing for a moose in heat to go through, I sorta feel bad for him."

Creed growled again as Saya laughed and grabbed Train's arm for support. _Like she'll really fall if she lets go…_

Between fits of laughter, Saya spoke, "That's true. I know it'd be hard on me." She released Train and smiled happily at him. "See you at lunch? Same spot, same time?"

Train nodded, and smiled back. Saya tossed Creed a quick smile too, which he didn't return, and glared at her back as she disappeared. He barely knew the girl and he already hated her. He didn't care how nice she was, or how funny, smart and pretty she was. Creed hated her. _Train can't possibly like her, can he? I mean, she's none of those things! She's a… a…_

"…Witch," Creed mumbled to himself.

"You say something?"

Creed blinked, and looked over at his Cat. _Did I say that out loud?_ "U-uhh, umm…" _Damnit, I can't have Train get mad at me this early in our relationship!_

Actually, they had known each other a lot longer than Train realized, but Creed had to go with Train's comfort level. He couldn't tell him everything right away, that would scare him away.

"Umm… What I mean is…"

Creed felt himself beginning to sweat again as Train eyed him curiously. He couldn't think of what to say, or how to cover what he already said. _Damnit, Creed, pull yourself together! You said today would be different, don't go back on your word!_

"Your name is Creed, right?" Train asked, as if he could sense the boy's nervousness.

Creed stopped his mumblings and blinked at Train. "Y-yes."

Train sighed in relief. "Thank God, I'm horrible at remembering names, and considering we're going to be working together, I need to know yours."

Creed felt his lips perked into a smile. _He remembered my name…_

The golden eyed teen opened the door to their classroom and gestured for Creed to walk inside. "After you."

Creed looked at Train for several minutes, unable to believe someone was actually being this nice to him. _Well, it is Train. He's just the sweetest person in the world…_ His mind once again began to drift off to thoughts of Train, even though he was standing right in front of him.

After several more minutes passed with Creed just staring at Train, said boy began to grow impatient and cleared his throat, knocking Creed out of his daydreams. "I'm trying to be nice here, why don't you take advantage of it?"

Creed blinked and quickly walked into the classroom, blushing from both embarrassment and Train's gentlemanly nature. Once inside, Creed immediately took a seat in the back, keeping his eyes to the ground so no one would see how red his face was.

He could hear Train setting his stuff up next to him and cringed inwardly. _Why am I still acting like this? I just want to talk to him, spend time with him… help him keep his promise…_

He glanced up at his beloved real quick, only to blush again and look back down. _Why can't I just say something?_

"Hey, you okay, Creed?"

Creed shot his head up quickly, once again looking at Train. His hero eyed him in confusion, unable to understand why Creed was acting the way he was. Creed attempted to give him another smile, one that was convincing enough to ease his beloved's mind. Seeing as that didn't work, he decided to try words again, even though he had a feeling that would be a failed effort too.

"I-I'm fine. I-It's nothing. Don't worry about me." His words had proved his feelings right.

He could tell Train was still unconvinced, but the boy shrugged his shoulders nonetheless, facing forward in his desk as their sensei began the lecture. Creed did his best to sit still and not throw himself at Train and confess his undying love for him.

Instead, he controlled himself, trying to think of something else to say. Something that would spark a normal conversation. He didn't really care about the class lecture, he could just read the book, and learn the material that way. And if Train was lost, Creed would gladly help him.

 _Yes, the most important thing right now is talking to Train. I have to get closer to him. I have to_ —

"We're still getting together after school to work on the project, right?"

Creed jumped at the familiar, and lovely voice. Turning to face Train, he blinked. "W-wha?"

Train looked at him through the corner of his eye, "We made plans yesterday to get together today, right? Did you make other plans?"

"No! No! I would never make plans over you!"

Creed was shocked at the volume of his own voice, and covered his mouth instantly. It wasn't loud enough for Tanaka to hear, but those surrounding him had stopped what they were doing to stare at Creed. Some were giggling, Baldor making snide remarks which Creed choose to ignore.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the shocked look on Train's face. He was beyond mortified. _What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I have to sound so desperate?_ Seeing Train was still blinking at the outburst, Creed placed the side of his face on his palm, avoiding his Cat from meeting his gaze.

Lowering his voice several octaves, Creed spoke to Train without looking at him, "I-I mean, I didn't make any plans. I'm still up for getting together after school today." After calming down a little, Creed peaked at Train, seeing his face now looked slightly amused. "Th-that is, if _you're_ still up for it."

Train chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, giving Creed goose bumps all over. "Why do you sound so nervous and unsure all the time? Of course I'm still up for it, it was my idea in the first place, remember?" He stopped, and thought his words over. "Or am I remembering incorrectly?"

"No, you're right. It was your idea." Creed remembered the exact wordings, and the exact facial expression Train held as he said it. He was so happy Train was inviting him to spend some alone time with him.

Okay, so it wasn't the kind of alone time he was hoping for, but any amount of time with Train was heavenly.

Train nodded and smiled at Creed, "All right then. I'll meet you at the library after the final bell rings, okay?"

Creed nodded as well, able to return the smile with a genuine one of his own. "Okay."

The rest of the class was a delight for Creed. Train had asked questions he was able to answer, which allowed his beloved to see how smart he was. He was able to talk to Train, even if it was just about the class, it was wonderful for Creed. At one point, Creed had to lean over Train's desk, since his Cat couldn't find where their sensei was reading from. For a brief moment, he felt Train's breath against his skin, the warmth radiating off his body, the scent of his shampoo…

Creed sighed dreamily as he, once again, slipped into thoughts of Train. He jumped when he heard the bell ring, opening his eyes to see his classmates packing their things up and heading out the door. Looking over to the seat next to time, he saw Train was already packed, and ready to go.

Before Creed could pout at Train's abrupt departure, the boy turned to him and smiled. "Thanks for all your help today, Creed. I probably would have been lost without you! I can taste that A already."

Train patted him on the shoulder, making Creed's face hot With one last smile, his hero turned, and left the room. Creed stayed in his seat for a moment longer, reflecting on the events that had taken place during class. _It's only been first period, and I already received so much from Train. I still have the rest of the day with him, too! And after school!_

Just as he was about to slip back into thoughts of Train, his sensei cleared her throat, catching his attention. She smiled knowingly as Creed looked at her, face still slightly red from his brief contact with Train.

"If you want to catch him before your next class, you'd better leave now," she said, eyeing him above her glasses.

Creed blinked, then packed his things up quickly. He said today would be different, and if he was going to stay true to his word, he had to make sure to talk to Train in _every_ class they had together—which was every class.

Bowing quickly to the woman, Creed ran out of the room, unaware of the amused chuckle she let loose.

As he ran down the corridor, he could see Train's back in the distance. Unknowingly, his legs began to slow the closer he got to Train. When he was mere feet away, they stopped completely, allowing more distance to separate them. The farther Train got, the faster he would go, but the closer he got, the slower he became.

_What's wrong with you? Just go up to him and say, "Hey, I think we have the next class together. Wanna sit together?" No, that's stupid. Too blunt. But… don't I want to be a bit blunt? No, I don't want to scare him away, I want to get close. But, then again, he's always blunt, maybe he'll like it if I'm blunt…_

"Hey, do we have the next class together?"

Again, the voice made Creed jump. Particularly more visible this time, since the voice had been Train's.

As he looked into his savior's golden eyes, Creed felt his knees go weak, but caught himself before he fell. _He noticed me? Well, of course he did! It's not like I was being inconspicuous when I was following him. I bet half the school heard me stomping down the hallway._

Train leaned forward and waved his hand in front of Creed's face. "Hellooo? You in there?"

Creed should have had a heart attack by this point from all the times he was scared out of his wit. He wasn't aware that he had been staring into Train's eyes with a panicked, awed look that whole time. _Oh! That's right! Class with Train. Yeah, got it._

"U-umm… I think so. I… I think all of our classes are together. I'm… pretty sure I saw you in all of them y-yesterday."

_Smooth, Creed. He's definitely going to fall for a stuttering mess like you._

His vision became impaired by Train's glorious hand. Looking up, he noticed Train was smiling at him, hand out as if he expected Creed to give him something. "Lemme see your schedule."

Blinking, Creed dug into his school bag, and handed Train the piece of paper containing his classes. He sighed inwardly as their finger tips touched slightly, then watched as Train pulled out his own schedule, and compared them.

"Wow! Either you're stalking me, or this is the biggest coincidence in history. We have _every_ class together!"

" _Stalking"? I prefer "watching"._ Creed laughed to himself slightly, "Yeah, what a strange coincidence…"

Train handed him his schedule back. "Well, let's go then. I don't have any friends in this class either, so it'd be nice to have someone to talk to."

Creed felt faint. "A-are you calling me a… f-friend?"

Train gave him a perplexed look. "Sure, you seem like a good kid, and even though it's only been two days, you've helped me out a lot."

Creed could tell his face had turned ten different shades of red before brightening like a freshly replaced light bulb. _A friend… Well, not exactly what I want, but it's a start._

He nodded, and promptly followed after his love. The class wasn't much farther from where they were, so they made it just in time before the late bell sounded. Creed waited for Train to take his seat first, then stood at the doorway for a little longer. Train looked up when he noticed Creed hadn't taken the seat next to him. He chuckled, and pointed at the desk located to his right.

"Come. Sit. I don't bite."

 _Not now, Creed! Push back the thoughts you know will arise with that statement!_ Creed smiled, doing his best to hide his nervousness, and took the seat next to his Cat. Luckily for him, Baldor wasn't in this class. However, Ash and Kranz were. Still, it was better than Baldor. He was always the most brutal towards Creed.

Just as Creed thought that, he spotted the two bullies sitting two rows in front of them. He looked away quickly when he noticed he caught Ash's eye. Said boy nudged his companion, who smiled wickedly.

"Oy! Look who's in this class. It's Psycho!" Kranz called, doing his best to sound like his hero. He was most likely trying to make his precious moose proud.

"I forgot my straight jacket, so we'll have to keep our distance, just incase he attacks." Ash added in.

Creed balled his hands into fists, trying to block out the sound of laughter circling the room. Suddenly, he felt a hand gentle touch his knuckles, bringing him out of his short daze. He looked up, and instantly felt calmer upon seeing Train's soothing eyes watching him with sincere concern.

"Why do you let them treat you like that?"

The silver haired teen felt himself relax as Train's warm words entered his ears. "It's… really not that bad… Their comments are _nearly_ as heartless as Baldor's…"

Train frowned, "Still, you shouldn't let them push you around like that. Stand up for yourself. Let them know you respect yourself enough not to let them pick on you like that."

"Self respect…" Creed muttered, oblivious to the fact that he actually said that out loud.

Train's frown deepened, looking back at Ash and Kranz with a fiery glare. "You know, picking on the poor guy won't earn you ass kissing privileges if you're beloved isn't around. Such a sad way to live, doing anything you can that will get you even a blessed strand of fur from a moose."

Creed smiled brightly as the class roared with laughter at Train's comment. He could feel hearts dancing around his head as his eyes sparkled with amazement. _How does he do that?_ _ **Why**_ _does he do it?_

It took the sensei several minutes to calm the class down from Train's comment. When he finally did, class began as usual and Creed took notes without looking at his sensei. They stayed glued to Train, cheek resting on one hand as he sighed to himself. Luckily, Train didn't notice, as he was too busy keeping up with the sensei's overly fast talking. Creed himself probably only got a few words he said written down. It didn't matter, he'd read the book anyway, and teach Train anything he needed to know.

_He's so amazing… He barely even knows me, yet he'll paint a target mark on his back for my shake._

Creed sighed again, smiling as Train brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes. _That's just the kind of guy I fell in love with…_

To say it had been the best day of Creed's life, was an understatement. He spent _**every**_ class with Train. They sat next to each other in every class, and Creed was even able to get in a few conversations with him without sounding like a school girl with a crush. The only time they weren't together, was at lunch. Creed was too afraid to approach his idol while he sat with his friends. _Suck it up next time! The best time to get to know him is when he's being himself around his friends._

The school day was over now, but his day with Train was not. Creed was currently in the library, just getting out of his last class. He originally wanted to walk with Train to the library, but his beloved told him to just wait there for him, since he had to stop by somewhere real quick. He didn't say where he was going, but Creed would wait all night for him if he had to.

He already started gathering books they could use. The teen knew the library like the back of his hand, so it wasn't difficult for him to find what they needed.

Walking down a row of books, Creed searched for one he knew would be the most helpful, but he was having trouble finding it. _Someone must of put it back in the wrong spot, because it's not where it should be._

Glancing up and down the row, he stopped as his eyes caught sight of the book he sought. He sighed tiredly to himself, looking several selves up from his position on the ground. _I won't be able to reach it from here._

Creed walked over to the librarian's desk, grabbing a step latter that sat nearby. He smiled at the older woman, who sat there reading a book. She smiled back, and continued her reading. Creed was at the library enough to not have to ask for permission to certain things that were there. The librarian trusted him enough to go through any books, or files he wanted.

Creed loved that freedom. It was one of the reasons he loved the library so much No one was there to pick on him, he was surrounded by books, it was peaceful and quiet. Other than the spot he slept at when his mom kicked him out, this was his favorite place to be.

He placed the small latter against the book self that held the book he desired. The latter wasn't very tall, only about three feet in height, but it was enough to reach where he needed to.

Standing slightly on the tips of his toes, Creed reached his arm out and grabbed the book. He smiled as he pulled it down, opening and flipping through the pages. Keeping his eyes on the book, reading a page which he found quite informative, Creed took a step back. As he lowered his foot, he lost his footing, the tips of his toes being the only thing to make contact with the step.

Creed's mind stopped as he began to fall backwards. The book he was holding flew out of his hands, and into the air. He shut his eyes tight, readying himself for the collision with both the ground, and the bookshelf behind him. He was shocked when he felt a strong arm grasp him around the waist instead of the painful fall.

"Whoa! Watch where you're stepping, partner."

Blinking his eyes opened, Creed was welcomed with golden ones shinning at him with concern. The blue eyed boy looked down, blushing violently as he saw Train's arm wrapped tightly around his waist, the other one securing his shoulder. The position had caused Train to dip Creed slightly down, as if he was about ready to sweep him off his feet. _No need, that's step was done long ago._

Creed stared into that angelic face he was obsessed with, fighting back too many urges to count. He was completely unaware that one of his hands was gripping tightly to Train's shirt, since he was too busy keeping the other hand from touching his partner's face.

Train's concerned frowned turned into one of confusion as he stared down at Creed. "What's wrong?"

Creed felt his eyes widen, and tried to push himself out of Train's arms. It was a difficult task because one: he didn't _want_ to leave his arms and two: he was shaking uncontrollably from the close contact.

Still, he was successful. Once he was out of the cozy arms, he bent down to pick up the book he dropped, desperate to keep his red face hidden from Train.

"Th-thanks… I-I was reading the book, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where my feet landed…" _Damn your stuttering!_

Train chuckled, "Next time, pay more attention. I might not be around to save your ass and you could have smashed your head open on the bookshelf behind you."

Creed looked to his side briefly, taking note of how close the selves were to each other. Of course, the close quarters only showed Creed how close he was to Train, making him feel weak in the knees, and hotter throughout his body.

Turning quickly and walking towards a desk, Creed tried to change the conversation. "I-I've picked out several books already. They should be perfect for our choice of topic."

Creed sat at a chair, opening the book he almost cracked his skull open to get. He turned back to the page he was reading before. "This one is the best of them all. It states—in detail—the start and the end of the Samurai era."

He heard Train's foot steps getting closer to him, and he forced himself to remain calm. "How do you know what page to flip to right away?"

"I-I've read it twice before…"

"Twice?! That thing is huge! Don't you have anything better to do than read during your free time?" Train asked, leaning over Creed's shoulder, face placed next to his.

Creed's left hand began to shake, and he forced it to stop by placing it underneath the book. He could feel Train's breath sweep against his cheek as inhaled and exhaled. His soft skin was hovering so close to his own, that he almost knew what it would feel like pressed against his.

The hand sitting under the book started to shake more violently, moving the book up and down quickly, but not quite enough to notice unless you paid attention. His face wasn't the only thing that was warm, and Creed could feel his legs beginning to tremble as well. The fact that Train had leaned even close in order to read the text himself, did not help Creed's situation. He needed another change of topic.

"W-well, I do have a j-job… two actually, s-so most of my free t-time goes towards th-that." Creed forced his eyes to stay focused on the book before him. All his strength went into calming his nerves instead of turning around, tackling Train and showering him with kisses.

The warmth of Train had decreased slightly as he took a seat in the chair next to Creed. "Two jobs? Really? Why do you have two?"

Creed took a quiet breath as Train began to pull his own materials out, regaining control of his desires. "Well, umm… my mom doesn't exactly… provide me with the materials a growing boy needs, so I had to get a job to pay for the necessities."

Normally, Creed wouldn't be telling anyone this, but this was _Train._ Even though Train didn't know him, he knew Train, and trusted him with everything. The words just fell out of his mouth, he didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable opening up to the boy before him.

Train was silent for a moment, seemingly taking the words Creed had said into thought. "I… think I understand. But… why do you have two jobs? If you don't mind my asking."

"The second job… is for…" Creed was afraid to finish the sentence. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with telling Train, he was afraid of the reaction. Afraid of the rejection…

Train waved the question away with his hand. "You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to. It's your business, not mine."

Creed smiled gratefully at Train. He'd tell him one day, just not today. If Creed told him so soon, he was positive he'd lose his savior for good…

Train pointed to the piles of books Creed had stacked on the table. "So, did you read all of those?"

The silver boy didn't even need to read the titles of the book to answer that question. "Yes, I have. I've read every book this library has to offer."

The brunette boy's mouth dropped opened, eyes widen and face shocked. "What?! Are you serious?!"

Creed blinked at him, confused. "Of course I am. Why would I lie about that?"

Train sat back in his seat and chuckled, "I guess that's true…" He threw his legs onto the table, titling his chair back on its back legs. "You know, you remind me of my friend Eve. She's a regular book worm."

Creed smiled. "I know, I've seen you call her that before…"

"You have? Are you following me?"

The blue eyed teen jumped slightly at the statement. He didn't realize he spoke his thoughts so loudly. Train's sentence scared him until the boy started to laugh joyously.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Yes, I do call her, all the time as a matter of fact. It's not really a surprise that you know I call her that. Pretty much everyone does."

Train started to rock his chair slightly, picking the legs up off the ground with each motion he took. Creed was eyeing the chair through his peripheral vision with worry. _If he keeps doing that, his chair will_ —

His sentence was completed through action. Train let out a loud yelp, falling backwards rapidly and hitting the ground hard. Creed immediately sat up in his chair the second he saw Train beginning to fall, but he was too late to stop him.

"Train! Are you okay?" Creed asked as he knelt next to him.

"Ow…" Train mumbled as he rubbed his head. "Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Hey!"

Both Creed and Train looked in the same direction, and saw the librarian glaring down at them. "This is a library, please keep it down."

Train rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry, I'll land quieter next time."

She narrowed her eyes further at him, then glanced to Creed, softening her gaze slightly. "Keep him under control, Creed-kun. I know you're very well behaved, but I can't say as much for your friend."

Creed would have defended if beloved if it weren't true, but he knew it was. Train was a prankster, and could act childish sometimes, but that was just one of the many things he loved about Train. He nodded sternly to the woman, who disappeared behind her desk once more.

The silver haired boy offered his hand for Train to take. The Cat boy accepted his offer, and pushed himself off the ground as Creed pulled.

Creed frowned deeply as Train continued to rub his head. "You sure you're okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Train winced his face, then pulled his hand to eye level. "Nah, I really am fine. Just a small bump, that's all."

"A bump?!" Creed couldn't stop the alarmed look that spread across his face, nor could he stop his hands from messing through Train's hair in search of the wound.

Once he found it, he gasped to himself. "That's no little bump, you should get medical attention!"

Train looked at Creed, completely thrown off by the mothering concern and advice. "It's really nothing, I've had worse scratches when I was a baby."

Creed sighed to himself, and stopped his search through the chocolate locks he adored. "You sure you don't need to see the nurse?"

Train sighed as well and rolled his eyes, "Yes, mother, I'm sure." He spun Creed around, placing his hands on the boy's back and pushing him towards his seat. "Now, sit down so we can get to work. I didn't come here to be mothered over."

Creed felt his face blush again as Train sat him down. "O-okay…"

He watched in silence as he hero took a seat across from him this time, opening a random book and beginning to read. Creed watched him for several minutes, suppressing a giggle as he saw Train's forehead scrunch in annoyance mixed with confusion. It was clear he didn't understand the information his eyes were transmitting to his brain. _He's trying so hard though…_ Creed felt his lips contort into an adoring smile.

Train seemed to sense Creed's stare, and looked up. He gave the silver teen a joking glare before speaking, "What're you smirking at?"

Chuckling slightly, Creed leaned forward, and pointed to the book he was reading, "You seem to be having some difficulty with that book…"

Train narrowed his eyes a little more, even though Creed could tell he wasn't actually mad. "Your point?"

Creed smiled, "Well, you picked the hardest book of the bunch to read. It took me awhile to understand that one too." He pulled that book away from Train, picked out another and handed him that one instead. "Try this one. It's a little more board. It doesn't get into as much details as the others."

Train took it from Creed, opening and flipping through the pages, "Ah, I see. So, this is kind of like "Samurai for Dummies" type thing?"

Creed laughed whole heartedly, then covered his mouth when he realized he was being too loud. Train chuckled as Creed blushed, and spoke in a whisper, "I guess you could say that… But, I'm not saying you're stupid or anything!"

Train patted his hand, sending a pleasantly warm wave to shoot up his arm. "I never said that, don't get paranoid."

Creed felt his heart skip several beats as Train smiled at him. He was already aware of how red his face was, so to hide it, he buried his nose in the book he was reading. However, the entire time he could feel Train watching him. His face only became hotter and hotter as his body shook slightly.

Finally, Creed worked up the courage to look Train in the face. "I-is something wrong?"

Train didn't answer. He just continued to stare at what Creed began to realize was his hair. Before Creed could react, Train was stretching his hand out in the direction of his gaze. His heart literally stopped at the feel of his Cat's fingers messing through his hair, unable to make any movement.

"Your hair really is a weird color," Train said as his other hand as began to mess with the silver locks. "Is it real?" He asked as he examined the roots.

Creed didn't answer, merely as there in stunned silence.

"Hey, it is. It's actually pretty cool. Better than my regular old brown. Not to mention yours is much better groomed than mine."

After Train felt that he had examined Creed's hair enough, he pulled back, and continued reading where he left off. Creed, on the other hand, was unable to move for several more minutes. _Did… did he just_ _ **willing**_ _touch me…?_ His hands were shaking as he fought off the urge to jump Train. _That's exactly what he did when we first met…_

The boy took one hand and touched his hair, trying to see if he could feel Train's fingers dancing through the locks. He frowned when he realized he couldn't.

Creed held very little hope that Train had done that out of nostalgia, it seemed pretty obvious that the boy who had saved him so many years ago remembered anything of their first encounter. Still, Creed figured it was worth a shot to at least try to bring it up.

"S-so, umm… does that mean that you… remember…?"

The second that last word left his mouth, Creed began to mentally abuse himself. _What?! After all this time, you finally get the opportunity to refresh Train's memory, and you say_ _ **that?!**_ _How did you ever get to be the smartest kid in the class? You're an idiot!_

Creed was frozen solid as Train gave him a quizzical look. "Remember what?"

He cringed. _Look at the way he's staring at you. You probably weirded him out, just like you weird everyone out… You should just give up now, before you screw things up further._

"I-I mean… umm… never mind, let's just get to work." Creed promptly reburied his face in the book.

He could feel Train still watching him, but was dead set on pretending to read a book he had already read a million times. His fingers gripped the sides tightly, clearly giving away the discomfort, and embarrassment he felt. He was shocked when his vision was blocked by a hand, which pulled the book down. Creed blinked as Train stared at him, his eyes looking as if he was trying to remember something.

"Have we met before?" Train asked, squinting his eyes at Creed as if he couldn't see him. "I mean, before this class."

Creed tried to smile, "Y-you asked me that yesterday. You've defended me many times before…"

Train nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I remember a handful of those occurrences, but I mean something besides that. I feel like I should know you from somewhere else. Like… you're an old friend from my childhood, but as far as I remember, Saya, Sven and Eve were the only friends I had as a kid."

Creed's smile brightened, his hopes starting to raise despite himself. "Really?" He asked, trying to keep himself from squealing with joy.

"Yeah…" Train said thoughtfully, still watching Creed with interest. After a few more seconds of staring in vain, he shook his head, looking back down to his book. "Nah, I can't remember."

Creed's heart broke, and his hopes were dashed. _Well, I knew he wouldn't remember. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up so soon…_

Train glanced back up at him. "I'll remember one of these days though, cause it will just drive me insane if I don't."

That cheered Creed up a bit. He sat up straight, and smiled at Train. He didn't want to flat out tell Train about their first meeting, he wanted his beloved to remember on his own. It would be more meaningful that way. Plus, Creed wanted to know that Train remembered on _his_ own terms. If Creed told him, that would mean it didn't mean anything to Train…

Creed frowned sadly at that thought, but shook it off quickly. "All right, you work on that later. Right now, we should really get started on this project. I think the library's gonna close soon."

"Right!" Train replied cheerily.

The silver boy giggled at his hero's enthusiasm, and began tutoring him on the samurai. He could already tell this was going to be a great year.

Creed was on his way home, humming a happy little tune that he made up as he went along. Today had been the second greatest day of his life. (The first one was obvious.) He sighed dreamily. A whole, blissful day with Train. After Creed got a hold of himself, and stop his stupid stuttering, he and Train were able to get along great. He could have a conversation with his partner that was much easier, and more pleasant for both of them.

They actually talked more than they worked on their project. Train had found out they had more in common than he initially thought. Creed, of course, already knew of their similar tastes, and views on the world. Even though Creed had tried to steer their conversation in the direction of more intimate talk, it didn't go as planned.

Still, they had many good conversations in the few hours they were together, and had a good time. As far as Creed could tell.

In fact, they had gotten so into their chat that they lost track of time. It was dark outside by the time he and Train finished. Creed didn't even realize how tired he was until he got to the door of his apartment.

Luckily for him, his mother never bothered to lock the door. Even if she kicked Creed out, he always knew the door would still be open. It wasn't for his sake, of course. She left it open, so her costumers could walk right in. _She wouldn't want her source of income to bother themselves with knocking._

He opened the door and immediately dodged to the left, avoiding a vase flying at his head. He was use to having to dodge something the second he walked in through the door. His face was able to remain calm and collected as he stared as his mother.

"What the hell are you doing back?! Didn't I tell you to get out this morning?" She shouted loud enough for the entire building to hear.

Creed continued looking at her, face still the same as when he walked in, "Yes, I do recall you saying something along those lines, but I do not recall you telling me to stay out."

She growled, "You should know by now that you're not welcomed here… Why do you insist on coming back?"

"I honestly don't know…" Creed mumbled to himself. Maybe he just stayed so he could have a roof over his head. Maybe it was because he it was a place to store his food. _That can't be the reason, since I find myself envious of the homeless…_

Creed was able to dodge a cracked dish that was thrown at him, though not entirely. The sharp edge where it was broken had sliced his cheek slightly, leaving a shallow mark. Blood dripped down his face, almost making up for the tears his emotionless eyes should have been shedding.

"Get out! I have a guest over, and I don't what you ruining it again. I've done enough for you, the least you can do in return for my generosity is to leave."

The silver haired boy narrowed his eyes, then headed off to his room. He grabbed his pillow and blanket, making his way back over towards the door. Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, his mother's voice stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going with those things? They belong to me."

Creed gripped the knob tightly, almost crushing it in his grasp. "I'm sorry _mother_ , but I'm afraid you're miss informed. You see, like everything else I use, I bought this with my own money. This may be too much for your tainted brain to understand, but when a person buys something, that tends to make it theirs."

He left the apartment, slamming the door shut before the woman could say another word. As he walked down the hall, he could still hear her shouts directed at him. He choose to ignore each and every one of them.

Despite the "motherly love" he had been shown, today was still a wonderful day. Nothing she said or did could ruin it. Besides, this way he'd be able to sleep in his secret spot. The spot he enjoyed staying at more than anywhere else.

He wrapped the blanket around himself, the thin fabric barely a shield to the cold night air. His destination wasn't too far, just a few blocks, which was good for him. Though he did wish it was just a bit closer.

Finally, he arrived at another apartment building. Instead of walking inside it, he moved towards a tall oak tree, whose braches stretched out wide into the starlight sky.

Creed smiled as he approached, laying his blanket down on damp ground. After the blanket was situation, he took the position he always did whenever he slept there. The spot he chose to sleep in was right between two roots of the tree, allowing him just enough room to lay back against a unusually smooth patch of bark.

Smiling, Creed placed the pillow behind his head, resting against it and curling up. This spot had been Creed's favorite spot for several years for many reasons. The first reason being that it was away from his mother. He could spend the whole night without being woken up by… disturbing sounds. Another reason was the night sky. It was a comfort to him. He often lost himself in the stars, picking out several patterns which usually shaped themselves into cats.

The third reason had been the building standing before him. His eyes switched over to a window on the bottom floor as a light switched on, causing Creed's heart to skip a beat. The teen boy quickly forgot the chill of the night as warmth coursed through his body when another boy his age stepped into view.

The main reason Creed loved this spot so much was because it was the perfect viewing point to watch his beloved Train sleep. Having no roof over his head, and no bed didn't mean a thing to him if Train were near. He discovered this spot long ago, back when Train first move in there. Before when his mother kicked him out of the house, Creed would sleep on the porch outside his building. This option was much better for him.

When he saw Train beginning to undress, he looked away. As much as he would enjoy seeing more of Train, he wanted to give his hero his privacy. He respected him too much to watch him undress.

After he figured it was enough time, Creed peaked between his fingers through the window, just to make sure his beloved was decent. Seeing that he was, Creed re-situated himself so that he got a better view of Train's bed.

He smiled warmly as his Cat crawled into bed, clearly tired from a long day's work. _He did accomplish a lot today. I didn't realize how much trouble he had in math, but I hope he understands it now._ Out of all the subjects Creed helped him with, math had the most time spent on it. _Maybe I should check his homework tomorrow, just to make sure he really understands._

He watched as Train pulled the blankets over his shoulders, then switched the light off. Luckily for Creed, the moon allowed enough visibility to see his savior's slumbering face. He also noted the happy smile on his beautiful lips.

 _It's so nice seeing him sleep with such a content look._ There had been times when Creed saw Train cry himself to sleep. Not only was it not becoming of Train, but it shattered Creed's heart. It didn't happen often, but back around the time when his parents were first killed, it happened almost every night

Train never let anyone see him cry. Even at the funeral, Creed didn't recall him shedding a single tear until everyone else was gone… when he thought he was alone. _He'll never be alone as long as I have anything to do with it… Even if he never notices me, I will always watch over him…_

The first time he saw Train cry, Creed wanted to rush to his side, and hold him until the tears stop. It was the same feeling when he watched Train whimper in his sleep, calling out for something Creed was unable to hear because of the closed window. He could only assume they were cries for his mother and father…

But tonight was different. Train looked happy as he slept. _Maybe I was able to put that cute little smile on his face…_ It may have been a stretch to think it, but Creed liked hoping against hope.

Creed sat there for several more hours, oblivious to the cool, night air or the full moon floating above his head. His attention was glued to Train, who mumbled something in his sleep and smiled even wider, clearly having a good dream.

He frowned as Train turned away, back now facing him as he curled into a tighter ball. Creed whimpered as he stared at the back. He reached his hand out in the direction of Train, grasping the air as if it were him. The blue eyed boy sighed loudly and painfully, allowing his hand to fall back down.

He pulled his sheet-like blanket over his shoulders, and leisurely closed his eyes. The image of Train's peaceful face surfaced in his mind, making him smile a sad smile. He wrapped his arms around himself, picturing himself holding Train as he slept.

 _I should have never let go…_ That sentence was Creed's lullaby as a child…


	4. Friends?

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

** Friends? **

"An inequality is related to an equation. There are two expressions estranged by a symbol that specifies how one expression is related to the other. In an equation such as 7x = 49, the equal sign shows that the expressions are equivalent. In an inequality, such as 7x 49, the greater than sign indicates that the left side is larger than the right side."

Train's eyes had crossed as he stared at his partner's mouth. The golden boy just couldn't believe that such a complicated explanation of solving inequalities had escaped what seemed to be such innocent lips. _I knew math was my weakest subject, but I didn't understand a damn thing he just said!_

It was nice that the silver boy had agreed to help him with his school work, but he expected to at least be able to keep up on their first day of tutoring! _Not to mention the sun is just barely rising and we've been at this for an hour already. Whose bright idea was it to meet BEFORE school?_

Train lowered his head to his hands, rubbing his forehead as if trying to rid his mind of something. "Oh right… mine…."

The Cat could feel the awkward silence hanging like a storm cloud in the air and looked up at his companion. He then gave Creed a tired, regretful smile from behind his large hands, "Sorry, did I say that out loud? I'm just chastising myself for bringing up the idea meeting BEFORE school for a tutoring session."

Creed smiled the brightest smile Train had ever seen. "It's perfectly understandable, Train! This way you're all warmed up for math class third period and we can still meet to work on our project!"

_Is it just me, or is he overly perky for it being 6:30 in the morning?_ Train removed his hands from his face, shaking his head at the thought. _This is **Creed** I'm talking about here. Nothing he does it really considered "normal"._

But, that's also why Train had taken a liking to the boy over that past few days. Any idiot could see just by looking at the brunette's list of friends that he attracted nothing but weirdoes anyway. Why reject another one? _I like weird people. Makes me feel not so alone or weird myself._ Not that he cared what other people thought. But, he went along with whatever life threw at him. _Who'd want to be **normal** anyway?_

The teen then raised arms high and wide, the motion accompanied with a loud yawn. He was quickly shushed by the Liberian, but paid no regard to her complaints and continued his required gestures. "Listen, Silver Dollar, it's 6:30 in the morning and you're explaining a topic that has alluded me for 18 years. Mind dimming in down a little? For the sake of my brain? Five word sentences is the max I can take this early in the morning."

Creed lifted his hand and counted his words as he spoke, "Divide by seven."

Train's head twitch back slightly as he stared at the teen before him, eyes drifting from between his friend's happily shining eyes and the three digits his pale hand presented.

"Oh… okay… that was… easy…" Looking down at the math problem placed before him, the boy scratched his head. "Umm… thanks a lot, Creed, but you didn't need to be so literal with the amount of words you use." The Cat took his pencil and began to do just as Creed had said.

As Train scribbled out the next few math problems of his homework he felt ocean colored eyes upon him. Glancing up, he noticed Creed had been giving him a strange look mixed with bliss and worry. The boy had even begun to shake his leg anxiously, sweat beginning to pool against his brow.

The brunette, clearly seeing his partner's distress, raised his head in order to fully face Creed. He reached out a hand to touch his partner's forehead. "Hey, are you okay? You look sick…" _He **always** looks sick._

Creed's eyes, which had been closed before, widened at the touch. More sweat appeared which slowly slid down the side of his face, dribbling along his neck. A panicked look surfaced in his eyes, as if he was desperately trying to contain something. At this look, Train retreated his hand, rubbing it against his pants to rid it of the slimy liquid.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Was it something I said?" Train asked, concern swimming throughout his voice.

Creed shook his head frantically, his cheeks turning into tiny tomatoes. "No! Not at all! I-I just… ummm…" He seemed to be searching for his words, his eyes scanning the room as if he had lost them amongst the walls of books.

Train shook his hand, dismissing Creed's actions, "I didn't know physical contact freaked you out so much. Sorry, I'm just a physical guy." His trademark grin was back, which caused the tiny tomatoes on Creed's cheeks to turn into giant target marks.

_Oh God, ooh God! Bad thoughts. Dirty thoughts. STOP THAT, CREED!_

Creed's thoughts were so loud he could have sworn his beloved partner had heard them. However, the silver haired boy managed to shake his head violently, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "No… no, it's not the contact at all. I do feel a little sick. I don't mind you touching me."

Train's eyebrows elevated vaguely which created another spiral of unnecessary emotions to flee Creed's mouth. "N-no! I said that wrong. What I meant was—"

His words were interrupted as his Cat began to laugh, calming his spirits. Train's face hit the desk that divided them with a light thump, his hands sliding along the smooth surface towards Creed. As the spiky haired teen's hands came inches from his own, Creed had to fight the urge to grab them and run off with Train.

Just as Creed's hands were crawling towards Train's, the Cat Boy raised his hand, eyes red from laughter. "If I ever question why I'm your friend in the future, remind me of this moment." Creed's heart lifted to the skies, hovering with the clouds and angles as he gazed deeply into those golden orbs.

"Wh-what?" Asked Creed, perplexed and overwhelmed.

Train's smile never left his perfect lips. "You're reaction to everything is so entertaining. Everything I say seems to get a different kind of reaction out of you." He wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. "But, seriously, are you okay? Do we need to stop so you can rest? It is early…" The bags under Train's eyes were enough to prove that. Then again, he had a midnight shift at his job.

Panic resurfaced in Creed's eyes and he shook his head yet again. "No! I'm fine, really. I'm also sorry that my sentences have been over five words long…"

Train rolled his eyes, leaned forward and flicked Creed's forehead. "I wasn't serious. It was a joke. Relax, Silver Dollar, I just meant use smaller words. Even awake I couldn't have comprehended what you said before."

Creed's demeanor loosened up as he sighed inwardly. He could feel a tingling sensation swell in his stomach when Train used the nickname he had given him.

A few days ago, Train was obsessing over the color of his hair again and said that he needed to find something that was the same shade as it. The next morning, Train kicked opened the door of their classroom holding a brand new silver dollar he claimed he found in the hallway outside the classroom. He marched up to Creed, ignoring their sensei's disgruntled growl and placed the coin up to the blue eyed boy's hair.

_"Aha!" He exclaimed proudly, raising both the coin and a bit of Creed's hair in the air. "I knew I'd find something. 'Silver Dollar' it is then!"_

Creed's thoughts were completely lost in what had quickly become one of his favorite memories, ignoring the fact that the boy of his dreams was trying to get his attention. _Not only did he touch me, but he gave me the most adorable nickname ever!_ Had the comment come from anyone other than Train, he would have taken it as an insult. However, when coming from Train… it was just amazing. Every word that was ever released from his elegant lips was like listening to an choir of Gods.

Creed was finally thrown out of his thoughts when he felt a piece of paper hit the side of his face. Looking over at his hero, he noticed that the boy had constructed an airplane out of a page of his homework in order to get Creed's attention.

Train's smile stopped Creed's heart of a second, "Back to Earth, are we? Good, 'cause I think the bell for the first class is going to go off soon and I'd like to ask more questions about this crap."

Train didn't really think it was crap and Creed knew it. That was just the mannerisms that his love used for everything. The Silver Dollar uncurled the piece of paper, slanting his lips slightly. "Train, you shouldn't crumple your homework like that. It's disrespectful to the teacher."

Train rolled his eyes and opened his math book, looking for more problems he didn't understand. "Whatever. That old geezer never respects me. Why should I respect him back?"

Creed didn't really have an answer for that and instead found his vision blurred by a math book. Train's faultless finger pointed to a particular problem on the page, tapping it ever so slightly.

"This. Help. Now. Please?"

Creed giggled a little at Train's awkwardly demanding request and lowered the book in order to make eye contact with his loved one. "Okay. That's simply the next step in solving inequalities. It's not too hard, I'll teach you."

The bullied teen felt his stomach nearly explode at the relived look Train got on his face. _I'm helping him… and he's actually accepting it… What could make this day go wrong?_

Creed's unannounced question was answered by a feminine voice. "There you are! What're you doing? You're going to be late to class!"

Both boys' heads turned towards the source of the voice. A quiet growl rumbled from Creed's throat as Train smiled brightly at the short haired girl before them.

"Hiya, Saya! Where's Eye-patch and Princess?" Train asked as he stood, taking a step away from Creed and towards his female friend.

Saya smiled bright back at Train, walking towards him as well. "Already in class. We haven't seen you before class for the past three days and I got wind that you've been in here. I still wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't seeing it for myself."

Her vision glided gently from Train's to Creed's. Another smile graced her lips as she waved at the silver haired boy. "Hey there! Creed, is it?"

Creed tilted his head slightly like a confused puppy, though the fury in his eyes was still present. _How'd she know my name?_

Train recognized Creed's confusion and answered his question, "Saya knows everyone. She's a lot like me, except I like to think she's more nosey and I'm more friendly."

Saya crossed her arms in front of her chest and stuck her tongue out at Train. "So, I like gossip. What of it?"

Train smiled and gathered his books. Creed watched him do this with the look of a child having their candy taken away. _Even though I've been with him every morning of the past three days, I can never get over him walking away._ In fact, it made it worse. He had actually gotten closer to Train due to all the alone time together, and in turn Train had gotten to know him better. Creed could now sleep easily at night knowing that he and Train were… _Friends…_

A loud ringing of a bell jolted everyone out of their current state of mind. Saya jumped forward and grabbed Train's wrist. "Crap! We're gonna be late! And my class is all the way of the other side of the school. Let's goooo!"

As she began to run away with Train, Creed's heart smashed into a million pieces. His eyes slowly fell downward as rage began construction in their depths. _Stupid witch… interrupting our time together and taking Train away… Why does she think she has first rights to him? I've been the one he's chosen to be with every morning for the past three days!_

Okay, well, that was because he needed help studying and doing his homework. But, still… it was still Train's choice.

"Saya, wait! I forgot something!" Train shouted as he ran back into the room, Saya in tow behind him.

"What?" Saya protested, starting a tug of war against her feline friend.

Before Creed could lift his head to look at the boy he felt strong fingers wrap firmly around his wrist. He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts along from his seat as Train now allowed Saya to win the war and pull him out of the room.

"My partner."

Creed's eyes glistened with so many emotions as he fell into those two golden pools of abyss. Happiness, wonder, bliss, peace, love, appreciation, hope… Those were only the first seven emotions that passed through his own blue eyes as he fought back the urge to cry and cling to Train like a tiny child to their favorite toy. It took all his strength not to blurt out his complete and utter love for the boy that dragged him out of the library. It was amazing Creed even remembered to grab his bag before their left.

Saya laughed at Train as he smiled cheekily at his new friend. "Well, that **is** a very important thing to forget. Now, come on! Let's keep up the pace or we'll all get out heads chopped off. They're cracking down on tardiness nowadays."

As the three teens ran down the hallway Creed found it was hard to keep up. Between the embarrassments of being dragged down the hallway, trying to get his backpack on his back, and fighting countless urges to drag Train into the bathroom and attack him Creed didn't have time to think about his footing. At one point he actually tripped and stumbled into Train's back. He was able to savor the scent of his beloved for only a second before he was helped him back up.

"Whoa! You all right there, buddy?" Train was able to nudge the boy back into an upright position while still keeping up with his female friend.

"Come on! Too slow!" Saya shouted from the front as she weaved her way through the crowd of lazy students that blocked their path. Teal eyes gazed back at Creed whose face was beat red with sweat dripping down his face, splashing to the ground.

She frowned and turned around a bit; grabbing the wrist Train had not been holding. Creed looked up at her, shock and frustration evident in his face. "Sorry if I'm going too fast for you, but we gotta hurry! I'll help ya keep up as well. Train's not the only one that's fast!"

A certain cat's ears perked at this comment and he turned his head towards the short haired beauty. "Is that a challenge, **m'am**?"

Saya scowled. "Let's do this…"

The two mischievous friends tightened their hold on their bags along with their hold on Creed. The poor boy being dragged broadened his eyes and tried to break free.

"Hey! Wait! I'm still here you know!" Creed didn't understand how racing with him would work at all. Wouldn't it be a tie…?

Neither of them seemed to listen and began their race, still not releasing their old on the poor silver child. As they picked up speed, Creed could feel his feet being lifted from the ground. The fingers wrapped around each of his wrists tightened the faster they got. The bag on the Silver Dollar's back began to lift and slip off which panicked the boy since he had no way of grabbing it.

"We passed our class! Stop! Please!"

Finally, they came to a halt. However, Train had come to a halt first and, since he was bigger than both Creed and Saya, stopped his two friends as well. Creed felt a tug at his arm which then caused a tug at Saya's arm. The boy went flying towards Train, face planting into the much desired chest.

The force of the impact caused Creed's hands to go flying around his beloved's waist, embracing him in a hug. Creed was unaware of his current position at first since he was too busy catching his breath. When he was calm enough to look up and assess his situation, his face turned a bright shade of red. He buried his face into his hero, hoping the brunette didn't see the look in his eyes.

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! Calm down… Control yourself. Don't do anything rash…_!

Luckily for him, Train did not see the want in his eyes since he too was catching his breath. He triumphantly placed his arms on his hips, Creed's arms still tightly wound around his waist, which he paid no mind to.

"I win!" Train yelled in Saya's direction. The poor girl in question had lost her hold on Creed and was sprawled out in the middle of the hallway, bag thrown across the room. A groan emitting from her body let Train know that she was, in fact, still alive.

_Oh, good. I thought for a second I may have killed her with the power of my awesomeness._

Train finally looked down at Creed who was clinging to his waist tighter and tighter by the second. The Cat frowned sadly. _Did I scare him? I guess we should have been a little gentler with the guy. I mean, just look at how skinny he is!_

The golden boy tugged at Creed's silver locks, pulling his head up so that they were eye to eye. "Sorry about that. Saya and I tend to get carried away when a challenge is presented."

Creed's face had a look of sheer admiration. Want and pleasure were waltzing with one another in his eyes, Train completely oblivious to the dance. Masculine fingers met silver locks, messing up Creed's already messy hair.

_Creed, contain yourself. You don't want to ruin things before they even start. Oh, God! He smells so good! And his warmth…_

The warmth Train's body emitted was like walking into a room lit only by the dim tenderness of the fireplace and wrapping yourself in a blanket fresh from the dryer. Train's hair was the coco you sipped and his eyes were the amber of the twirling flames in the fireplace. His scent was the cookies being baked while his skin was the marshmallows that floated freely above the coco.

_This isn't good… I need to release my hold on him before things get worse._

Creed was starting to feel a little… tense below his waist which was the defining moment that made him make the regretful decision to let go. As soon as he released his beloved, he turned away, straightening his shirt and making sure there weren't an "visibilities" down there.

"I didn't know you had such a soft spot for psychopaths, Feline…"

Train and Creed both turn their heads in the direction of the new voice. Train's eyes narrowed in distaste as Creed's widened in panic. He still hadn't calmed himself down enough from the close encounter he had with Train and **really** didn't want Baldor to notice.

Train, on the other hand, had a look of determination. "I said this before and I'll say it again: the crazier the better. Who wants to be normal anyway? That's weird."

Train walked over to Saya, pulling her up gently. He scanned her for a minute to make sure there was no serious damage done. The worry in his eyes was enough for Saya to know what question he was going to ask.

"I'm fine, Train. Thank you."

Kranz walked up behind Baldor, carrying more books that a human being should be carrying at once. With just one glance, Train could tell the boy was carrying his master's books. Train exploded in laughter which was loud enough to bring Creed's attention back over to him. It took a second longer for Saya to put two and two together, but when she did she joined her friend in his laughter. The two began to clutch at each other for support, the laughter being too much for them to stand.

"Really? Is this really happening? Are you seriously carrying that moose's books for him?" Train continued with his laughter as Kranz's face turned beat red.

Next Saya spoke, "Wow! Now **that's** dedication! I don't think any of my past boyfriends have ever held my books for me."

"Isn't a moose supposed to be strong enough to hold his own load?" Train asked, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

All the while Creed stood on the sidelines, watching as Train and Saya bullied Baldor and Kranz. He felt no pity for them. _It's not like they don't deserve it._

Creed allowed a snicker to slip his control when he saw both the boys' faces turn even redder. Unfortunately for Creed, Baldor heard the snicker and eyed him with fury. Storming over to the silver boy, he grabbed his recently ironed white shirt and pulled him close enough that Creed could taste the onions on his breath.

"What's so funny, Freak?" Baldor snarled, baring his teeth like an animal.

Creed gagged at the smell, unable to be scared of a man who smelled so rotten. Creed had to cover his mouth in order to speak. "Good, God! Who has onions so early in the morning? Honestly!"

Everyone around them was silent. No one had ever seen Creed actually say something back to Baldor before… especially when he was in such a dangerous situation. Train's jaw dropped, finally taking his worried eyes off a Saya for a second to watch the scene unfold.

Creed coughed and gagged. "Did you really eat onions before coming to class and not brush your teeth, or is this the natural smell of the moose?"

Saya's attention had been turned to Baldor and Creed as well. The playful girl wasn't shocked, she was **beyond** shocked. She couldn't even think of a word that could describe how shocked she was.

Baldor's face took the form of a tomato and threw Creed to the ground. Both Train and Saya were too preoccupied with their stupor to act in enough time. However, as soon as their companion had hit his head against a locker, they both rushed to his side.

"Creed!" Train yelled running over to him, Saya quickly following.

It was Kranz's turn to laugh, making sure to not let go of his friend's books. Saya glared at the bullying duo before turning her attention to Train, who had lifted Creed's head up and onto his lap. Saya's fingers instantly found their way into the silver locks, checking for blood or bumps.

"I don't see anything. I think he's fine." Saya stated as she pulled her arms back.

Train sighed in relief and shook Creed a little. "Hey, Silver Dollar, you okay?" _I feel like I'm always asking him that question… Maybe I bring him bad luck. Like a black cat._

Creed's eyes opened slowly, rubbing the side of his head that had fallen into the locker. His eyes lazily fell onto Train, a pretty shade of pink gracing his pale cheeks. "I'm… okay… I'd rather have my head slammed into a locker a million times before I have to smell **that** again."

Both Train and Saya's eyes opened wide at that comment. They then looked at each other and burst into laughter. Their laughter was so intense that they didn't notice Baldor walk up behind them, glowering down at Creed.

"That could be arranged…" He stated, cracking his knuckles.

"Nothing of the sort will happen in this lifetime, Baldor-kun…"

All the teens looked at the doorway of their classroom, seeing their sensei standing there with that glare on her face that said, "You better explain yourself before I tear you a new one."

Baldor growled and turned away, giving Creed one more angry glance before retreating into the classroom. Tanaka watched him go with a wary eye, waiting until both he and Kranz were seated in the classroom. A sigh escaped her perfectly glossed lips as she looked down at the three teens still circled around each other.

"Are you okay, Creed-kun?" She asked with a motherly, caring look in her eyes.

Creed smiled gently at the woman and nodded kindly. He didn't give her much attention because he realized that his head had been in Train's lap. At the panicked look on Creed's face, Tanaka smiled, choosing to re-enter her classroom.

"As long as you're okay, get into class. We'll be starting soon. You too, Train-kun. And Saya-kun, I don't think your sensei would appreciate you being late either." With that, she was back in her classroom, scolding Baldor for his violent actions.

Train sighed as he heard her shouts at the boy. _It's a good thing we have such a great sensei. And at least she knows we're here and not late._ Golden orbs landed on to Saya who was still giving Creed a sympathetic look. "You go on to class. I got this."

Saya looked up at him, "You sure?"

He nodded, "Yes I am. Now, go. You're class is really far from here and with the way you run, you're definitely be late." He smirked, knowing this would provoke the girl.

Saya huffed and stood angrily. "What do you mean by that? I totally won that race! You're just too slow to realize that."

Train rolled his eyes. "Just go to class. We'll have a rematch later."

Saya nodded, happy with this response. She patted Train lovingly on the head before she turned and ran off. "See you later, Train-kun! Bye, Creed-kun! You've earned more than my respect for those comments thrown at that moose!"

Creed frowned in her direction, a mixture of hate and confusion surfacing in his heart. "What does that mean?"

Train chuckled and fondly watched Saya depart, "It means she considers you a friend. Though, it's not hard to become he friend. She likes everyone."

Creed's rage was brought back momentarily at the look Train had in his eyes when he talked about Saya. He couldn't help the wave of jealousy that controlled his lips for the next thirty second. "She has strange color hair."

Train looked down at Creed whose head was still in his lap. Cocking an eyebrow in bewilderment, Train spoke next. "Um… yeah I guess… But, I attract weird people. What can I say?" He shrugged and stood, reaching out a hand for Creed to grab.

The thin boy was sad to have his head no longer in Train's lap, but was grateful after accepting his beautiful hand. The urge to never let go surfaced again, and to his great pleasure, he did not have to. Train had pulled him closer, gold studying silver with a curious look.

"Are you sure you're Creed? The same Creed I stood up for the other day because Kranz, Ash and Baldor were playing keep away with his books?"

Creed's cheeks became pink as he avoided Train's questioning gaze. "I-I… Y-yeah… it's still me… I… don't know what came over me just then. My lips just… _moved_ and that's what came out." Slowly, he turned back to Train, heart beginning to beat with fear, "Were you… that shocked?"

Train smiled and nodded, "Yeah, but in a good way. I'm proud of you, buddy! Finally standing up for yourself!"

The smile that formed on Creed's face was enough to brighten even the sun. _He's proud of me! Oh, what more could I ask for? Well, except for his undying love for me, but I don't see that happening any time soon._ His heart sank a little at that thought, but not enough to shake his smile.

Train released Creed's hand, causing the silver teen's smile to falter slightly. Train began to walk towards their class and Creed followed after him.

"Maybe you won't need me for much longer."

Every word of that sentence was like a stab to his heart. Creed stopped in his tracks, face going pale as his body felt cold. He stared at Train in disbelief, unable to grasp the words he just heard.

"…I'll _always_ need you…"

The blue-eyed boy had no idea he spoke his thought until Train turned around. "Huh?"

Startled, Creed shook his head. "N-nothing… we should get to class. We're working on the project during the period today."

Train shrugged and walked into the room, plopping himself into his "assigned" seat. Creed watched him longingly from the doorway for a moment before continuing after him. After he took his seat and pulled out his books he eyed Train. A friendly glow shone in those angelic amber eyes and melted Creed's heart. A wistful smile stretched across Creed's lips as his chest swelled with heat.

_I'll always need him. He'll **always** be my hero…_

* * *

The rest of the day had gone by splendidly. Creed and Train sat together for every class and Creed couldn't be more proud of himself. He was keeping up with the conversations, not stuttering and managed to keep himself under control for the most part. There were a few times when he slipped and grabbed onto Train's hand. It earned a curious look from Train, but Creed was always able to come up with some kind of excuse.

At the moment, Creed and Train parted from one another for lunch period. Creed still didn't have enough courage to approach his Cat while he ate with his friends. Instead, he situated himself across the cafeteria in a position that allowed him the prefect view of his beloved. The young man sighed as he watched Train play keep away with his friend Eve's book.

Creed chuckled as Train laughed, finding it absolutely adorable and amusing that Train hated bullies, yet didn't mind bullying his friends. _Well, I guess it's not bullying. More like teasing. He does that to me all the time._

It was just like the nickname Train had given him. It wasn't meant to really hurt Creed, just meant to poke a little fun at him. And Creed wasn't about to ruin his savior's fun.

Creed allowed his mind to wonder to thoughts of Train. He rested his cheek against his hand as he gazed adoringly at his idol. The teen barely noticed as his elbow slowly slipping to the side, hitting a bowl of soup he poured for himself. The bowl fell off the table, smacking harshly against the ground. Bits of the food managed to splash against Creed's shirt and pants, eliciting an alarmed yelp from the boy.

A group of young girls to Creed's left saw this happen and laughed at him. Creed's face turned red as he tried to clean himself off. He refused to lift his eyes as students around him began taunting him, chanting things like "psycho" and "freak".

_Don't look up, Creed. Just keep staring down and clean yourself up._ Ignoring the students didn't help, it only made things worse. _Why did I even bother to come here today? Why didn't I have lunch in the library like I normally do?_

The rage began to form in Creed's eyes again until he felt a gentle tap on his should. He jumped and turned his gaze towards the tap, silver eyes meeting teal. The rage that was held within them did not change, only a minor amount of confusion was added.

Saya saw the rage in his eyes and frowned, "Um… I noticed you sitting here by yourself. Why don't you join us? There's enough room at our table and I'd hate to see a friend eat by himself."

Creed blinked. "Friend?"

Saya nodded, "Yes. Friend. I know we only first spoke today, but Train considers you a friend and any friend of Train's is a friend of mine." The cute girl smiled, which made Creed frown and look away.

"No… it's okay… I'm use to it…"

Saya sighed, seeing the boy's stubbornness. "Just like Train…" She muttered to herself, rubbing her temples as if she were getting a headache.

Creed heard her mutterings and his heart fluttered. _Was… she talking about me? Am I just like Train?_

"Come on. There really is enough room at the table. There's a seat right next to Train that's just **begging** to have a butt in it."

This caught the young man's attention. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he looked over at the table where they sat. Train wasn't there at the moment, most likely going to get more milk. With one last glance between Saya and Train's table, Creed stood.

"Okay. I'd… like that."

Saya jumped for joy and hugged Creed for only a second. "Yay! That makes me so happy! Let's go!"

The girl grabbed Creed's wrist and ran in the direction of their table. The silver boy was just barely able to grab his tray of food before being dragged off. Before he knew it, he was forced down into a chair, two new sets of eyes placed upon him.

"Oh, hi there and who might you be?" Asked a green haired teen, eye-patch adorning his face.

Creed didn't need to answer since Saya had done so for him. "This is Creed. Me and Train's new friend."

The eye-patch kid nodded knowingly, presenting his hand to the newcomer. "Well then, pleasure to meet you, Creed. My name's—"

"Sven." Creed answered for him. Everyone at the table looked at him strangely, causing a blush to flush his cheeks. "Train's… mentioned you before. Except he calls you Eye-patch." He glanced nervously at a girl with long blonde hair, ruby eyes that seem to speak years beyond her age. "And you must be Eve. Except Train calls you Princess."

Sven and Eve's eyes were both twitching, anger clearly evident in their faces. Creed started to panic, thinking he did something wrong. _I'm always doing something wrong. But, what is it this time?_

Saya's laughter brought his attention towards her. "Don't worry, Creed. Their anger is directed at Train. Not you."

At the mention of his lovely Cat, Creed's ear perked up. "Where is Train?"

"Hey there, Silver Dollar!" A voice from behind Creed entered the silver boy's ears.

Before Creed knew it, an immense amount of pressure was placed on top of his head. His chin lightly hit the table as familiar fingers began searching through his locks as if looking for something. Creed's breath had caught in his throat, making his face slowly turn blue.

Saya notice this and pulled Train off. "Train! You're choking him!"

Train stood back for a moment before poking his face in front of Creed's. Blue orbs widen and pale skin turned red. Train smiled at this reaction, knowing now that the boy was okay.

"Nah, he looks sick, so that means he's fine!"

No one else in the group understood what Train meant. They just continued to eat their food as Train took his seat next to Creed. The cat placed his legs on the table, crossing them at the ankles. As the golden boy began to gulp down his milk, Creed couldn't help but stare in trepidation.

Eve frown as she stared at bottom of Train's dirty shoes. "Train… please…" Bit of dirt had fallen off onto the table which made the blonde beauty stifle a little.

Sven, detecting the girl's, turned to Train. Without a word, he kicked the boy's feet off the table causing Train to choke a little on some of his milk.

"Hey, not cool, Sven! What if that killed me?"

Sven rolled his eyes, "Please, you're like a cock roach. Even a nuclear blast couldn't kill you."

"Yeah, but a boot can." Train pointed out as he eyed Sven's shoes. He continued to ignore his friend as he finished his milk. The cat slammed the empty milk carton on the table, letting out a satisfied gasp.

Creed could feel himself smile at seeing Train's pleasure. Nothing was better than seeing a smile of pure joy on Train's lips. Sven scoffed, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Yeah, yeah. And don't you mean 'Eye-patch'?"

Train glanced over at Sven, then to Eve, then to Creed who blushed furiously. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know it was a secret!"

Train waved his hand in Creed's face, dismissing his apologies. "It's fine. They know what I call them."

"It's certainly not a secret. It's also not a secret that Train's a jerk." Eve comment as she turned a page in her book.

Creed eyed the girl, ready to stand up for his beloved before he notice what book she was reading. "The Giver? By Lois Lowry?"

Eve glanced above her book at Creed. She lowered it slightly in order to see the boy better. "Yes. You've heard of it?"

Creed nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. I've read it five times."

Train kicked his feet in the air, which had been again placed on the table and threw his partner a shocked look. "WHAAT? **Five** times? I can't even read an article of a magazine without getting bored. How do you manage reading something five times?"

Everyone at the table rolled their eyes as one except Creed who gave Train a very serious, concerned look. "Well, it's not too hard when you don't have ADD…"

Sven spit out his coffee, ruining his sandwich as laughter erupted from his stomach like a volcano. Saya and fallen to the ground, holding her sides for fear they might burst. Eve, who didn't show emotions very often, had dropped her book on the table, face following after it in an attempt to keep her from laughing too loud.

Train, on the other hand, stared completely dumbfounded at Creed. His mouth opened slightly, eyes searching Creed up and down as if he were searching for an answer on Creed's body. Creed had been looking around frantically, confused as to what was so damn funny. _Doesn't… Train have ADD? I'm concerned, not trying to be funny!_

Sven was the first to speak, face purple of all the laughing he had done. "That… was… AMAZING…! Leave it… to Train to find someone… that's as much of a smart ass as… as he is…" The words were spoken between giant gulps of air, since he still hadn't caught his breath.

Saya's hand slammed at the table, fingers gripping tightly as she tried to pull herself from the ground. "Soooooooo, funnnnnnyy!" She laughed, fingers slipping and falling to the floor again.

Eve lifted her face, which was a bright shade of purple as well. She took in a deep breath, raising her book to cover her face again. Her voice became serious as she spoke, pretending to read her book while doing so. "Honestly, we really shouldn't be laughing. It is a serious problem that Train has and we should all be a little more sensitive to his personal issues."

Again, Saya and Sven died from laughter. It wasn't as bad as what Creed said, since they expected something like that from Eve. The last thing they expected when Saya brought over this skinny, quiet looking genius was something like **that**.

Train crossed his arms over his chest, sinking into his seat low enough that you could only see the top of his head. "You guys all suck. Everyone at this table is a jerk."

Creed's eyes looked sad as he stared at his beloved. He was about to stumble out apologies until he saw a small smirk tickle the corner of Train's lips. This let Creed know that he wasn't actually mad, his pouting was kind of like a tease. _Which is I guess what I just did to him…?_

It finally occurred to Creed what was so funny. He smiled a little, happy to see that Train had become comfortable enough with him to let him joke around. As Creed gazed lovingly at Train, a fist was placed in his face. The silver boy twitched slightly at the view, thinking he was about to get punched in the face. However, when he looked up he saw Sven's welcoming smile, presenting his fist to the boy almost as if it were an offering.

"I'd like to be the first one to welcome you to the group. I can tell it'll be a fun run."

Creed stared at the fist for a moment, then to Saya who had finally regained her composure, then to Eve who was peering at the group from behind her book. Creed wasn't sure what to do before Train grabbed his hand for him, curling it into a fist and pressing it against the green haired teen's.

"Fist pound, Creed. Sorry, Sven, he's a little socially awkward so you'll have to be clearer about what you want."

Sven nodded knowingly, sitting back in his seat. "What other kind of people would I expect you to attract, Neko Neko?"

Train growled at the use of the nickname since they all knew Kyoko was the only person who called him that. Sven smirked at the discomfort of his friend and continued his meal.

Creed turned to Train, staring at the hand that still held his. He sighed dreamily, happy to see no one had noticed. Saya was busy bothering Eve with plans of getting their hair done and going shopping. Sven was busy poking fun at Train while the cat was throwing a temper tantrum.

The silver haired boy watched his four companions with interest. _These certainly are… interesting people my Train has chosen to surround himself with. I'm still not too fond of that Saya girl, but I guess if I'm always next to Train when she's around, she'll get the picture._

With that thought in mind, Creed allowed his eyes to waft over to his much loved hero. Contentment surrounded his body, engulfing him in surreal harmony as he witnessed Train laugh. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, once again resting his hand against his cheek to stare at his cat lovingly.

_He's happy. Truly happy right now… and to think, I am involved in the group that is making him happy…_

This moment, was quickly becoming Creed's third greatest moment of his life.


	5. Love Cures All

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

** Love Cures All **

Pale lids slowly opened, long, dark eyelashes untangling to reveal cerulean eyes. The owner of these eyes blinked a few times, a fragile hand lifting to clean the sleep from their corners. After a few minutes when Creed was able to keep his eyes fully open, the back of his hand returned to shield the bright rays the sun radiated into the mostly empty room.

The teen groaned and sat himself up with his other hand, the thin blanket falling slightly to reveal pale, feminine shoulders. Creed's eyes had re-shut in an attempt to protect his eyes from the intruding light.

_Damnit, woman! Why won't you buy curtains?_ He already knew the answer to that. His mother liked to walk in front of the window wearing little to no clothing in order to attract more men. It worked, if you could call the things that came knocking at her door "men".

Rolling his eyes at that thought and shivering slightly at the image, Creed began to stand up so he could get ready for school. Just before he could complete the task, a shadow loomed over him, blocking the sun entirely. The shape of the form was man-like, board shoulders and chest acting as a great barricade for the sun. Creed could also feel cold eyes and a disturbing smile leering above him, sending a chill up the silver teen's spine.

_Too big to be mother… It's gotta be—_

Peeking between his fingers to better see who the mysterious figure was, Creed let out another groan. "What?" He asked his voice hoarse from sleep and frustration at seeing the man before him.

Izo smiled, his cheeks turning into two plums as his yellow teeth greeted Creed. "Is that any way to greet a guest?"

Creed growled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the blanket back up, covering his chest better. "No, but it's okay considering you're not a guest. You practically live here now."

It was a great displeasure for Creed to have to see this man almost every day of his life. It was especially displeasing since he could always feel his grey, lifeless eyes on him all the time. This fact was the reason Creed had pulled the blanket up to his neck, blue orbs never leaving the man's face that roamed his thin body carelessly.

Izo's sneer continued as he leaned forward into Creed's face, "Is that so? Then how about a welcoming party?"

Creed couldn't help his hand as it came crashing down against Izo's cheek. A loud slap echoed against the dry walls as Izo took a step back. His large, hairy hand flew to the cheek Creed had just slapped. He gave the younger man a look of shock which quickly turned back to the usual sinister smirk Creed had grown use to.

"Fresh, are we? Ripe for the picking, I'd say." The older man allowed his hand to fall idly at his side, smirk still plastered along his face. As he tried to take another step towards Creed he stopped, noticing a dark glow forming in his normally innocent eyes. Izo huffed and walked towards the door.

"That's fine; I need to be going anyway." He grabbed his coat off the hanger next to the door. Opening it, he took a step out, about ready to leave before he turned about around to smile at Creed. "Until next time, boy…"

With that, the man was gone, leaving Creed alone with his thoughts. The boy glared at the door a moment longer, listening to make sure Izo's stomping was no long audible. Once it was quiet in the hall, the thin teen stood, allowing his blanket to fall to the couch he slept on.

_Why did I decide to sleep here last night? Oh, right… rain…_ Normally, that didn't stop Creed from sleeping underneath his beloved tree, but last night was particularly bad. He wouldn't have even been able to see Train sleeping let alone keep the clothes on his back.

Creed sighed and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed an apple from the fridge and took a huge bite. Just as he was beginning to chew, he heard another door in the house slam against a wall. The slam was accompanied with a pig-like grunt, Creed knowing all too well who the pig was.

_Sleeping Beauty has awoken. Too bad she's too late to meet her Prince Charming._ Another tremble crept down his back as he pictured that man as a prince.

Before he could make contact with the woman he ran over to the couch to grab his bag and clothes. Shoving the apple into his mouth, he ran towards the door, lithe fingers gripping tightly around the knob.

"What're **you** going back here?"

Creed glanced over his shoulder to observe the "woman" that gave birth to him. The teen snarled, narrowing his eyes in discontentment. "Nothing really. Just stopping by to pay a visit to my loving mother and warm home."

Just when she was about to answer, Creed spoke again. "The creep you call a man just left. I don't know where you're money is. Leaving now."

Creed leapt out the door only moments before he heard a crash against the door. The Silver Dollar chuckled to himself as he made his way down the hallway. Gobbling the rest of the apple down, Creed began to slip his wrinkled white shirt over his head. His pants were never removed from the night before since he didn't trust taking them off in that apartment. The main reason was because men had taken them before, either mistaking them for their own or just thinking they were nice pants.

_However, after that little encounter with that beast, I think I've found another reason to leave them on at all times._

Creed still couldn't shake the feel of that creep's eyes on him. It was like pointing a magnify glass at an ant on a hot summer's day.

The ocean-eyed boy shook his entire body in order to rid himself of the feeling. He decided to replace his bitter thoughts with pleasant ones.

_Train…._

Creed's eyes took on their customary wistful tone as his mind drifted to thoughts of his beloved hero. It had been two weeks since they started their project together and Creed was amazed at the progress they had made both with the project and their relationship. _Well, it's technically been ten days, but who's counting?_

They spent every lunch period together and Train's group had even invited him over to talk with them before school started. Those were really the only two times the group was able to get together with Train, and even though those times had been with other people, it was at least something for Creed. Plus, Creed was starting to like Train's friends more and more each day.

_I'm still not too happy with Saya, but Train doesn't seem to be responding to her._

Either Train wasn't interested in Saya, or he sincerely just didn't have time for all the private invitations she gave him. Almost every day Saya had asked Train for some form of alone time outside of school. Creed grinded his teeth every time the proposals were made, but his heart sky-rocketed every time his Cat rejected her.

_Yes, 'cause he needs to spend the time with me. **I'm** more important than she is._

A proud little smile slipped on his lips as he stepped outside of his apartment building. The warm beams of the sun cascaded along his supple form, his pale skin absorbing the day's welcome. With a deep, satisfied sigh, he began to make his way to school.

Creed had never been so happy with his life before. He was able to not only see his beloved every day, but talk with him on a friendly plane. Train considered him a friend on pretty much equal level with his Sven and the rest. The only difference was most likely the amount of time he knew Creed.

_Well, I've definitely known him just as long as he's known them. My Cat just doesn't know that yet._

He still had plans to remind Train of their past, but Creed knew his idol wasn't ready to hear all that since the conversation would most likely be accompanied with other questions that would lead to… other revelations. That, plus he had no idea of how he would go about explaining it all.

_The moment has to be right. Everything needs to be perfect, well thought out and planned. I'm not about to pour my heart out to him without enough preparation and courage. The last thing I need is to be shuddering how much he means to me the whole time. I just need more time and everything will be wonderful._

"Yes. Everything will be perfect." He mumbled out loud.

"What will be perfect?"

The voice caused Creed to look up suddenly, heart stopping as he met cat-like eyes. A blush immediately poised Creed's cheeks as his body erupted in flames.

"Oh, h-hi, Train! N-nothing. I'm not talking about anything."

As his love crossed his arms across his chest, Creed could tell he was not satisfied with that answer. "You always seem to act like you're hiding something…" Train leaned in closer to his partner, his eyes holding a sincere look of curiosity. "But, what could it be…?"

An arm wrapped around Train's neck, pulling him down so that the side of his face was pressed against a flat chest. "Quite badgering the guy, can't you see you're making him uncomfortable?" Questioned Sven's deep voice, his fist plowing into Train's head, giving him and intense noogie.

As Train struggled, Creed relaxed. His face had taken on a shade of red that was most likely bright enough for the entire school to see. The silver boy giggled as he watched his two friends wrestle with each other, a pang of jealousy growing as he watched Sven touch Train.

_I'm still not ready for that kind of contact with my Train, so I can't help but feel a little jealous._

Of course, he knew nothing was going on between them. Train didn't seem interested in anyone (a sad realization for Creed) and Sven clearly had a spark with Eve…who was now sneaking up behind them.

"Boys, please, sometimes it's an embarrassment to call you guys my friends." Even was holding new books in her hand. She seemed to have a different five with her every day.

The wrestling boys ignored her comment. Finally, Train had freed himself of Sven's hold and finally got one of his own. The Cat swiftly caught the back of the green haired teen's heel, making the slightly taller boy fall on his back. Sven let out a low 'ouf' as he hit the ground, glaring up at Train who placed his foot on top of his friend's chest.

"Victory!" He shouted, raising his arms gloriously in the air. To Creed, he looked like a God how had fallen from the sky in order to set a few of his minions straight.

"Finish him!" Came another shout as Saya entered the fray, tackling Train to the ground.

This time Creed was **definitely** jealous as he watched Saya land on top of Train. The jealousy started out as a small simmer in the pit of his stomach which quickly boiled up to his chest. He narrowed his eyes, hate fueling his next movements as he stormed over to the wrestling duo.

Creed grabbed Saya by the arm, a little rougher than he wanted to as he pulled her off of Train. "You'll get his uniform dirty."

Saya looked at him confused then rolled her eyes. "He'll do that on his own at lunch. Why're you always worrying about him?"

Even though they had known each other a short time, the entire group knew about Creed's overprotecting, neurotic behavior when it came to Train. Even Train was aware of it, but never looked too much in to it. The rest of the group questioned it a lot, but Train didn't care enough to. All he knew was that the boy admired him which was mostly likely due to all the rescuing he'd done.

With a chuckle, the rescuer stood up, brushing off his pants. "Very funny, Saya, but I do my best to stay clean. It just… doesn't always work."

The boy's love of food far exceeded his love of being clean and since the school cafeteria food didn't cost too much, it was really the only meal he could get in a day. He pretty much **had** to get in as much as he could within the thirty minutes they had to eat (AN: been awhile since high school so I don't really remember how long/short lunch period was).

The girl laughed and waved his comment away, turning her back to both Creed and Train. "Okay, whatever. Go fuss over the boy's clothes. Maybe he'd just be better off without them." Saya turned and winked at Train whose face turned and adorable red tint.

Another person's cheeks turned a different color as he imagined Train in that situation. However, he was quickly able to shake himself free of his thoughts, realizing that the girl was flirting with Train again. _That was **such** an obvious flirt. How does Train not notice this?_

There was still the hope that if he **did** notice it he just didn't care or was not interested. When Creed's blue orbs turned to gauge his Cat's reaction his jaw tightened. Even though red was quite an endearing color on Train the look was lost when _she_ had been the one that painted him the shade.

"W-well, Saya, I do believe we have laws against that…" Train commented, rubbing that back of his head nervously as he avoided eye contact with the girl.

A giggle brought Creed's attention towards Eve, who was smiling innocently behind Sven. The younger girl had kept herself occupied with making sure Sven was okay, since everyone else seemed to have forgotten about him. When she noticed Creed looking at her, the smile dissipated, instead being replaced with concern for her green haired "friend" who had scraped his elbow.

"But, Neko Neko would look good without clothes!"

This new voice was accompanied by another tackle, planting the poor feline on the ground for a third time today. No one in the group had seen where Kyoko had come from. The girl was like a bat that swooped in and drank Train's blood whenever Charden wasn't around.

The Cat gasped as he hit the ground again, the wind being knocked from his board chest. The red on his face was quickly replaced with a purple seeing as the girl was sitting on his stomach. Before Creed or any of Train's other friends could do anything, the girl had leaned down and given the brunette and quick, subtle kiss on the lips.

Train's face went pale at the contact and instantly began flailing his limbs around. "Ah! Kyoko, what the Hell? Sven! Where's Charden? Tell him to restrain his pet!"

Saya was laughing at Train's reaction as Eve, even though a giggle escaped her control, rolled her eyes as she finally released her hold on Sven's arm. Sven, face palming at the scene before him glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Train, you're savior is coming."

About five feet away the group could see Charden, clearly in no hurry to get to his girlfriend. During the forty seconds it took him to get there Train struggled and yelped, much like a cat who was being forced to take a bath. Creed giggled at the image of a baby Train being forced to take a bath by his mother, but then glared when he realized the whore on top of him was going in for another kiss.

Two second before the golden-haired teen could get to his girlfriend; Creed had yanked her up by her arm, much more forcefully than he had Saya. There was no intention of being nice to the girl who had just tackled and kissed **his** Train.

"You need to learn to some loyalty." Creed's crystal eyes had turned into slits, his pupils dilated to the point of insanity.

To Creed, the look on Kyoko's face was priceless. The adoration that was once present in her brown orbs had turned into complete and absolute fear. She nodded quickly, trying to agree to a demand Creed had never technically made.

A creamy hand had taken a gentle, yet stern grip on Creed's wrist which caused the silver haired boy to look up. Charden looked into his eyes with a warning, yet someone understanding look.

"She's just a young girl. Let me handle her." His words were very much like the words of a father speaking about their daughter. Even though clearly that is not what his relationship with Kyoko was.

With a swift narrowing of his eyes to Charden, Creed let go of the girl, leaving the rest of the group speechless. Well, everyone except for Train who was still too busy rolling around on the ground as if in pain.

Within seconds after the conversation was over, Creed was at his beloved's side, concern evident in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No! I am not okay! I'm a home wrecker! My first kiss was with a girl I don't even **like** who has a **boyfriend**!"

"That hardly makes you a home wrecker…" Saya's voice said from the other side of Train, her hand resting kindly on his shoulder. "I mean, it's not like they're _married_. Just dating. And like Charden-san said, she's just a girl and you're a cute boy. It's to be expected."

Creed shot a warning look at Saya which she did not notice. Train had finally stopped rolling around on the ground, arms and legs flat at his sides as his golden gaze stared at the blue sky. Seeing he had calmed down, both Creed and Saya sighed.

Saya then flicked Train's ear which caused the boy to twirl a frustrated frown her way. "Besides, why do you think that was your first kiss?"

Train's eyes widen and his entire body turned red. Creed's eyes did the same, body also changing colors but for another reason. Confusion whirled in head skull, trying to remember a time when Train had actually kissed someone else. _I would know… I've been watching him since that first day. What is she talking about…?_

Creed wasn't able to think any longer as Kyoko spoke, "Sorry, Neko Neko. Charden-san explained to me why that was a bad thing to do." She gripped at Charden's arm, kissing the older teen on the cheek. "He's the only one I'm supposed to kiss, which I will remember next time I see you!"

If looks could kill, Kyoko would have been dead twice from the look both Train and Creed gave her. Train's look was more aggravated and lost while Creed's eyes could have been throwing flaming daggers at the girl.

The blonde teen took tight hold on Kyoko's hand, beginning to lead her away. "Let's go, Kyoko, before another fight ensues. Sorry for the trouble, Train-san."

No ill will was held towards Charden. Confusion was the emotion everyone felt when it came to him. The entire school questioned why he was with the girl especially after just **kissing** another man. As Charden walked away hand in hand with Kyoko, girls following after him, pleading for him to dump the girl after what she had just done and how they would never do that to him.

Once Charden and his fan girls were out of ear shot, Train lifted his head and finally let out what everyone was thinking. "Freakin' crazy!"

He had to fight the urge to use much more colorful language, since he knew Eve would most likely hit him for that and after being thrown to the ground three times, he did not need any more pain.

He let his head slam back to the ground, ignoring the lump he could already feel forming there. "So, if it's all right with you guys, I'm just gonna spend the rest of the day on the ground here. When I get up, chances are I'm going to be knocked back down again…"

The boy shut his eyes to block out the sun, allowing himself to begin to fall asleep. Only after feeling darkness looming over him did he peak a single eye open. Sven looked down at him, clearly trying to give his feline friend a glare which failed miserably since he was trying to keep himself from laughing.

"Train, you know you can't do that. You're behind enough as it is, so get your ass up and get to class."

Train shut his single eye again; face showing obvious signs defiance towards Sven. "I won't fall farther behind. Creed's in all of my classes and can take notes for me. He ends up just teaching it to be later anyway." He opened his eyes briefly to look at his silver friend, "Also, I'm not behind anymore thanks to him."

It was true. Creed had met with him every day not just for their project, but to help his savior catch up and understand his school work better. Of course, Creed also met with the boy just so they could have some alone time together. He had to make sure to see Train by himself at least once a day if he wanted to speed things up.

_I want more... but that's not going to happen any time soon. Between Train working and me working, there's just no time for anything more._

Sven was obviously not accepting that as an excuse. He bent down and grabbed Train roughly by his ample shoulders, pulling him up so that he stood tall on his feet. "Stop putting so much on Creed. I'm sure he has better things to do with his time."

"No I don't."

Creed's comment created four pairs of his to look at him with a questioning glow. A blush swept across his pastel face as he quickly found the ground interesting, digging his foot bashfully into the dirt.

"I-I-I mean… I don't mind helping Train… I mean, he helps me so much… S-so…"

"So you want to repay the favor. Got it. We're just saying you don't have to. Train helps everyone." Sven said as he reached over to pat Creed on the shoulder.

Blue eyes never left the ground as his foot continued to dig into the dirt. Seeing that Creed was not really going to react to his new friend's statement, Sven turned to Eve.

"We should get going. Pop-quiz today."

Eve blinked, following quickly after Sven. "How do you know that?"

Sven smiled down at his blonde haired companion. "Despite what you may think, I do know how to charm the ladies. Even if they are old."

Eve's ruby eyes tapered as she looked up at Sven. "That's sick! Our sensei's like fifty years old!"

A smile crept on Sven's lip. "Women are like fine wine, my dear."

Eve blushed and stormed off in front of Sven, making each one of her steps forceful and determined. Sven chased after her, sputtering apologies and explanations for his actions. Eve was visibly not interested in anything he had to say.

"Awww, their first fight." Saya said dreamily watching them go.

Train brushed his pants off, walking up behind her. "First? Where have you been for the past eight years?"

The teal eyed girl shrugged, turning on her heel to get to class. "True, true… Anyway, I'll be going too. We also have a test today. I trust you to get him to class on time, Creed?"

Creed blushed as he watched Saya go, glancing at Train to see his reaction. Train wrapped an arm around Creed's shoulder, rubbing his hand sturdily in his silver tresses. "He's got my back like always. No need to worry."

Saya laughed and continued walking, waving her hand in the air as she disappeared into another building of the school. Creed was left alone with Train, who still had his finger interweaved in his hair. The thin boy was surprised he had not dissolved into a puddle at the contact. It was all he could to do restrain himself enough not to "take care" of the stunning teen in his own special way.

When Train stopped and began walking to class, Creed frowned, wanting more from his beloved. The Silver Dollar stood there for a moment before Train's muscular hand beckoned for him to follow. Creed did so earnestly, running after Train like a dog being called by their master. However, he must have been running at his sly cat a little _too_ earnestly since he had crashed directly into his back.

Train yelped as he found himself falling forward again, landing on the ground face first. Instead of getting up instantly and turning to his offender, he decided to lay there, stifled whimpers rising from his sprawled figure.

Creed, on the other hand, did not fall. He reacted in enough time to grab onto the school's entrance before he could fall with Train. The boy gasped, covering his mouth as he quickly made his way around to Train. He knelt down, checking over his love with careful, loving hands.

"I-I'm so sorry, Train! Are you all right? Oooh, I should have watched where I was going."

The silver teen continued to create a commotion around his friend, who did not say or do anything in return. Finally, Train decided it was time to turn over on his back so he could see the boy that was having a heart attack over his condition. A few moments of silence, gold and blue staring at each other gauchely, Train spoke in a loud, harsh voice.

"That's it! Just leave me on the floor. It's just gonna keep happening all day, so I may as well go with it!"

Creed panicked, grabbing Train by the hand. "I'm sorry, but you have to get to class! **We** have to get to class!"

"Go without me! I'll be fine." Train protested, pulling against nimble Creed's hand.

"No, I said I'd look after you and I am. Please get up, Train."

"I'll take class lying down. It's cool, really."

Train lay on the ground, limp as Creed began to drag him down the hallway. The students in the hall parted down the middle much like the Red Sea did for Moses, allowing the twosome to slowly make their way to Tanaka's class. Train's face held a defeated, dead look while Creed's was determined and strong which was quite a role reversal for the two, but amusing to the students nonetheless.

As Creed heard his peers laughing, he smiled to himself. This was the first time he actually understood what was so funny. With a glance down at his seemingly dead beloved, the lissome boy laughed as well.

_Oh, Train, you're so dramatic. But at least you're showing me its okay if you make a fool of yourself._

That was the thought that kept him going when fatigue from lugging his adored hero began devoured him.

* * *

A few days had passed by since Creed had seen his beloved at school. Or, to be more exact, sixty-two hours and forty seven minutes, but again, who was counting?

The time apart from Train was tearing Creed in two. He had stopped by the tree outside his Cat's apartment a few times in order to see if the teen was all right, but to no avail. The thick shades were drawn every hour of the day, making it impossible to see what was going on in there. The folders full of money Creed left for Train were starting to pile up as well.

_It's not like I can just knock on his door and ask if he's okay. From what he knows, no one knows where he lives except for the school._

A sad, empty sigh flew slowly from Creed as he idly scribbled drawings of cats on his notes. The only time he paid attention to what his sensei was saying was to take notes for Train. Even though he had no idea where Train was, he knew the mischievous feline would return eventually...

A crumpled piece of paper ruthlessly hit the side of Creed's head, bringing blue eyed attention to his right. Baldor snickered to himself, Kranz and Ash on either side of him preparing what seemed to be spit balls. Creed's vision curved towards his sensei instead, knowing that the bell was going to ring any minute now so there was no need to worry about the juvenile spit balls.

_Seriously, what're they? Five? Who still makes spit balls at the age of eighteen?_

That was another problem with Train not being here. The torment his peers put him through was unbearable. When Train was around either Creed had enough confidence to protect himself or Train was there to defend him.

The realization that Creed needed Train to be there hit not only the silver boy, but the Moose Man and his companions as well. Since Train hadn't been around for the past three school days, (including today), Creed was back to square one. No one respected or cared enough about his feelings to leave him alone.

He sighed again as he looked at the empty chair next to him. Train sat next to him in every class, right between Creed and Baldor. Whenever the creep attempted to throw something at Creed, his savior was there to catch and throw it back. He'd always aim straight for Baldor's forehead, right between his eyes.

Creed gave a tiny laugh at the thought which was followed by a painful whine as he continued to stare at vacancy next to him. Even though the rest of his friends kept him company between classes and lunch, it was terribly lonely without Train. There was a hole in his heart that only his Cat could fill. His soul felt lost and forlorn, yearning and aching consuming his entire being as each day passed by.

A loud ring disrupted his thoughts, just in time too since the Three Stooges had prepared their spit balls. Creed stood despondently, assembling his notes for Train.

"Creed-san! Clean up that mess! I won't be held responsible for lack of tidiness."

Creed's ears perked at the sharp remark, eyeing his sensei angrily. The teen then looked down at the pile of crumpled papers that had grown around his desk and growled. His head snapped over to Baldor and his crew who were stepping outside the classroom, laughing merrily.

The blue eyed boy wanted to say none of those papers were his, but he knew his sensei wouldn't care. He never paid attention to Creed unless it was negative. He didn't even care that Creed had never gotten below a ninety-five on any of his tests and never disrupted his lectures. There was a blind spot in this man's vision that only had room for Baldor, seeing as the moose was the star sportsman of the school.

As his sensei cleared his throat, Creed rolled his eyes and bent down to pick up the trash that had formed around him. After gathering everything up, he walked towards the recycling bin located by the door in the room. Once he had dropped the discarded spoils in the bin, he squinted, noticing some kind of scribbling on one of the papers.

He picked a piece that floated at the very top of the can, just barely hanging over the rim. Unfolding the paper, his vision became blinded with rage and hurt. The first piece of paper contained a crudely drawn picture of Creed in a straight jacket.

The boy crinkled the paper heatedly in his hand and picked up the next one. This one had a drawing of Creed picking through a garbage can. The next had Creed covered in filth and blood with Baldor standing over him.

All of these drawings infuriated Creed beyond belief, but the last picture he looked at destroyed him. It was a picture of Train sprawled out on the ground with the three bullies standing over, him smiling evilly. There was blood dripping from Train's mouth and nose, black and blue all over his immaculate face, his normally vibrant, golden eyes filled with anguish and fear.

Laughter erupted in the hallway as Creed looked at each picture. Two crystal orbs slowly rose to greet the trio that had found Creed's pain so funny. A fury that had been held within those childlike orbs now shone brightly for the world to see. Several students that were passing by stopped and stared at the teen, dread and uncertainty apparent in their demeanor.

"Couldn't resist the urge to go trash picking, Freak?" Kranz shouted as he clutched a locker to keep himself steady from all the laughter.

Creed stood still, not saying anything or even breathing. Baldor, after regaining his composure, approached the silent boy quickly. Within seconds, he was inches from the silver boy's face, nose nearly poking Creed's eye out.

"Don't like the drawings… Psycho?"

Creed wasn't stupid enough to answer that question. His bangs had fallen over one of his eyes, letting the other blue sphere burnish fiercely at the tall teen before him. Creed could feel each breath that the moose took glide against his silver locks, brushing them to the side slightly. This only enraged the boy more to know that this juvenile asshole was standing so close to him.

In one swift movement, Creed lifted the recycling bin into the air, dropping it and its contents on top of Baldor. The bin fell down the moose's head, slipping to his shoulders and pinning his arms against the side of his body. Bits of garbage spilled down around Baldor, forming a pile at his feet.

Baldor, much like a cornered moose, began charging with the bin still on his head. He was unable to move his arms around and instead of doing the intelligent thing of removing the bin; he instead charged head first into the lockers across the way. The entire student body was in an uproar. The only ones who weren't laughing were Kranz and Ash. They were trying to rescue their boss from his dirty fate.

Creed smiled, pleased with himself and happy that was all he did to the brute. _Say what you will about me, draw what you will about me, but do **not** mess with Train._

A sudden grip on the boy's arm brought his attention back into the classroom. His sensei had seen everything happen and was now pulling Creed down the hallway. "Come with me," was all he said the entire way.

They reached the end of the hallway where Creed had been thrown into an office. The pale boy stumbled as he was thrown into the room, his sensei slamming the door behind him. The older man then walked in front of Creed and faced a man that was sitting behind a large, oak desk.

Peering up behind crescent moon glasses were warm, brown eyes. The man had dark hair with a slit of white cutting across the side. It was a full head of hair, but the white streak gave the appearance of a man who was growing old. His skin was a cream colored white and chubby cheeks that were full of life.

A thick, salt pepper eyebrow rose at Creed and the sensei. Putting his pencil down, he folded his hands in front of his face, resting his lips against the lithe fingers. "Welcome, gentlemen. Is there a problem?"

Creed didn't move from the doorway. He stood there, still as he did when Baldor was laughing at him. His sensei took a step forward, voice deep and demanding.

"Hotaka-san, Creed Diskence must be suspended."

Both Creed and the man named Hotaka widen their eyes in shock. This was the first sudden movement Creed had made and he couldn't help but take a step forward and stare up at the man. "What…?"

His sensei ignored him in favor of continuing the conversation with the principal as if Creed weren't there. "I and the entire student body just witnessed this _boy_ attack another student in rage."

Before Creed could answer, Hotaka spoke, "Who was this other boy? Why is he not here with the same complaint? Or better yet, why are you not there solving the problem?" Hotaka leaned back in his large, leather chair, glaring curiously at the slightly younger sensei. "I am a very busy man, and I would like for my staff to at least _try_ to solve problems before they are brought to me. You wouldn't alert the FBI for a simple diner dash, would you, Kenta- san?"

The man's cheeks turn a little red from embarrassment, but he continued nonetheless. "Baldorias Fanghini was ruthlessly attacked by this delinquent. Unprovoked and innocent, yet this **boy** launched a recycling bin on top of his dead."

Creed's eyes widened at the story. Yes, he did indeed throw a recycling bin on the head of Baldor, but it **certainly** wasn't unprovoked and that moose _definitely_ wasn't innocent.

Hotaka didn't seem convinced either. "Kenta-san, I know Baldorias-san is important for our school's team, but I hardly think he is innocent." His kind eyes then skimmed over Creed. "And Creed-san has never been in trouble before. So, I highly doubt it was unprovoked."

A sigh of relief came from Creed's direction which caused Kenta to throw him harsh look. He turned back to the principal. "Nothing changes what this **boy** did." Each time the man said 'boy' he emphasized it more.

Hotaka breathed deeply and looked at Creed. His brown orbs showing years of experience and stress, yet the gentleness behind them had never died down. "Creed-san…" His voice was smooth and understanding "Is what Kenta-san said true?"

Creed looked between Kenta and Hotaka, heart racing as his eyes were just now slowly regaining their innocence back. After a few, silent moments, the teen finally spoke. "Yes…"

Kenta lifted his head high as if he had just received an award. Hotaka still didn't seem convinced. "And it was unprovoked?"

At this Creed froze again. His hands still gripped the papers that demeaned Train. White fists began to shake, crushing the doodles even more. There was a long moment of silence as Creed stared at the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

Hotaka sighed, "Creed-san… if you don't say anything, I have no choice but to suspend you…"

Creed was still silent, a small tear sliding down his cheek to his chin, clinging to his pallid skin desperately.

The principal leaned forward in his desk, writing something down on a piece of paper. "Well, if you won't say anything different I have little choice…" Hotaka glanced back up at Creed. "Would you like to set up a meeting tomorrow with Baldorias-san?"

Still silence from Creed, but his demeanor changed slightly. His shoulders slumped forward and he began to shake ever so slightly. Sensing the sensitivity behind the subject, Hotaka continued on.

"Creed-san… I hate to do this to our top student, but… you're suspended for three days." He completed what he was writing and handed it to Creed. "Please give this note to your parents and go home. I'll see you in three days."

For a moment longer, Creed stood there, still holding back tears. Only Kenta's violently shove brought him to Hotaka's desk to take the letter from his hand. As the teen grabbed it, Hotaka held tight onto the piece of paper.

Creed looked up at the older man, eyes red from frustration and sadness. The dark haired man frowned, "I wish you'd let me in, but you really leave me no choice…"

He released the note and led both him and Kenta to the door. Once outside, Kenta straightened his shirt and looked importunately down at Creed. "Take these three days to think about what you did and where you're going with your life."

The Silver Dollar didn't bother to point out how his grades will get him into any college in the country so he didn't need to worry about his future. Instead, he just let the man walk away without another word.

Turning leisurely and desolately, Creed made his way out of the school. He wasn't sure what he was so upset about. Whether it was the fact that he had just been suspended or how unfair this turn of events had been, he didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted to get out of this school as quickly as possible.

His slow stride quickly turned into a brisk run. He didn't know where he was running to since he didn't have a home to go to. Maybe it was to Train? Maybe to a bridge… He didn't know, but he didn't question his feet as they kept moving.

A wall must have suddenly shot out of the ground 'cause Creed found himself slamming face first into something hard, his butt hitting the solid ground. A tear stained face shot up to see what had blocked his path to nowhere only to have it filled with complete and utter joy. Standing before him was the very boy Creed had been dying to see.

However, Train did not look too well either. His eyes were red, face paler than usual and cheeks flushed. His hair was less bouncy than it normally was and his voice sounded a little hoarse.

"Creed?" Came Train's sickly, yet sweet sounding voice. "What's wrong? Did they let school out early?" His words were spoken softly as if he couldn't speak any louder than that.

Train was in his school uniform, though half-hazardly put together. The teen was dragging his bag behind him, arms limp at his sides.

Creed was able to abruptly get over himself when he saw his Cat's face. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Train rolled his eyes when he saw how Creed avoided his question. "Yes. Only a little. I'm getting better though and I'd appreciate it if you'd answer my question."

If it were up to Creed he would have continued barraging his love with questions, but decided to comply with Train's request. Without saying a word or even standing from his spot on the ground he handed the note Hotaka had given him. Train took it without a word and scanned it quickly. Feline eyes shot open, suddenly finding energy to speak louder.

"What? Suspended? For **violence**?"

Train may not have known Creed as long as he had known Saya, but he would never expect him to get suspended from school. The Cat lowered his hand to get a better view of his friend who had crumpled into a ball on the floor. Frowning, Train bent down to his level and placed a hand on Creed's shoulder.

"Listen, Creed," even though his voice was husky and quiet, it sent chills of excitement up Creed's spine. "I think I can understand what happened even without you even explaining it to me, but…"

He looked in the distance at the school. Train had been out of school for the past three days because of how sick he was, but he decided he needed to go to at least the second half of today.

_I can't afford to keep missing classes, but… Creed…_

The golden boy frowned at his friend. Taking his left hand, he placed it underneath Creed's chin, pushing his head up so they were eye to eye.

"Do you want to talk about it somewhere else? I was gonna go to class, but I guess it's pointless now."

Creed's eyes were wide with wonder. His face was red from the tears he had just let out and excitement at Train touching him. "N-no… I couldn't make you miss another day…"

_It was just nice to see him at least… even if it won't be for another three days…_

Train tried to chuckle, but coughed instead. Creed eyed him with concern which the Cat waved away. "It'd be pointless without you anyway since you're the one that explains everything to me. Come on; let's go somewhere so I can sit. Do you live close to here?"

Creed's eyes widen as he shook his head feverishly. _No… I will **not** bring my Cat there. Especially when he's this sick._

Train sat on the floor, his body fatigued and tired from the sickness. "Well, we can just sit here if you want. I just don't want anyone in the school to see me and ask why I'm not in there."

The Silver Dollar took a huge gulp of air and summoned all the courage he had in his body. "Wh-wh-what about… y-your house…?"

The question was weak, but fair. It was Train's turn to have his eyes widen and shake his head. "Umm… we can't… my grandparents will be confused why I came back and I don't feel like explaining myself to them."

"You're lying."

Creed's direct, calm statement shocked Train. "W-what…?"

Creed's eyes stared into Train's eyes sternly. He was the first person to ever point out his lies so flatly. People usually either believed him or didn't bother to question why he was lying. After a few blinks and gaps of his mouth, Train was finally able to speak again.

"N-no, it's true. They—"

Train was cut off by Creed's stare. Tears were forming in his eyes again which created a wave of guilt to swell in Train's stomach.

The brunette cried, "Creed… I—"

A violent cough stopped his words. He turned away from Creed and covered his mouth. Once he was done he allowed himself to fall on the ground, body to weak to even sit. His eyes looked jadedly at the sky, narrowing at the sun as if it was mocking him.

_Stupid sun. Being all bright and happy on a day like this._

Train felt a gentle hand on his shoulder that sat him upright. He then felt his arm being wrapped around a shoulder while two arms encircled him in a tender embrace. Before the Cat knew what was happening, his feet were lifted from the ground momentarily until he found his body being fully supported by another.

The spiky haired teen looked up at Creed who was blushing ferociously, his eyes holding a look of purpose and potency. His friend began to lug him forward and away from the school. After a few seconds of walking without talking, Train finally spoke.

"Where are you going, Creed?"

"To your house." Creed stopped, as if something had occurred to him. "Which way?"

The thin boy was good at playing ignorant. Train couldn't know that he already knew where he lived.

"I already told you, we're not going there. We can't."

"Why?"

Train was taken aback by Creed's question. Anything he said he knew Creed wouldn't believe and the boy seemed determined to get Train home.

_I'll regret this… but I really don't have the strength to fight him._

With a sigh, Train finally caved in. "That way." He pointed indolently, his hand then falling lifelessly to his side.

* * *

It took a half hour, but the duo had finally made it to Train's apartment building. The whole time Train insisted they go to Creed's, but the silver boy pointed out it'd take an hour to walk to his. When they got to Train's door, Creed finally released his hold on the boy and allowed him to open the door to his apartment room. _Why is Creed not questioning any of this…? This place is a dump and this is clearly not a house._

When they approached the broken down building Creed said nothing. When they entered the building and a piece of plaster fell from the wall Creed still said nothing. Even when they made their way down the hall and passed by several people who were already drunk Creed's lips remained sealed.

_Is he use to this, or is he just too concerned with me to really care about what's happening around him?_

Train opened his door and stepped inside. Or, to be more correct, he stumbled inside. Before he could fall, Creed grabbed him and pulled his Cat against his chest. The Silver Dollar's heart was beating so hard he thought Train was going to notice. However, Train was too preoccupied with reaching for the light in his apartment.

Once he found the switch, he flicked it, illuminating the very small room. It was a one room apartment with the bathroom only blocked by a closet door Train had put up. The kitchen was down hallway that was only about three feet long and which lead to the "bedroom" Creed had seen him sleeping in many times.

As blue eyes scanned the room he frowned. _I knew his apartment was small, but I didn't think it was **this** small…_

There wasn't even anything in the room. The bed had no sheets, only a thin blanket and a single pillow. There was a dresser that most likely came with the apartment which was see through and contained about three pairs of pants and three shirts. The kitchen had a fridge that was only about two feet high and a stove with one burner. On it was a single pan which looked clean, but unused.

_And I thought my mother's house was a dump. Train doesn't belong in such a small space._

Train notice Creed was studying his apartment pretty keenly. The Cat forced himself out of Creed's arms and flopped himself onto the bed. "So, I guess you have a million questions to ask me…"

Creed looked sadly at his cat, moping at the loss of Train in his arms. The silver haired boy shook his head and took a step towards Train. He bent down to his Cat's level and touched the back of his hand to his head.

"Train, you're burning up…"

Train's eyes were half-closed and confused. "No questions…?"

Again, Creed shook his head. "No, I just want to make sure you're okay. Do you have any medicine?"

Train's hand covered his face. "No… nothing. I've just been sleeping for the past three days straight." He eyed Train warily. "What happened at school today? What did that moose do?"

Creed stood and took a step towards the door. "Later. I need to get you medicine."

Just when he was about to leave, his Cat grabbed his arm, preventing the teen from leaving. "No. Story. Now." Train's eyes were closing slowly. "Please…"

Creed's lips lowered into a frown realizing that his love wasn't able to keep consciousness for much longer. He knelt down again, running his fingers gently through his Cat's hair. Train didn't really discern this gesture, since he was only half paying attention.

"Okay, Train. If you really wanna know, just try to stay awake for a few minutes longer…"

Creed finally stopped talking, his eyes brimming with tears again. He had never taken his hand away from Train's hair, his other hand now gripping tightly to Train's. As the story progressed, Creed held tighter to Train's digits urgently not wanting to let go.

Train was quiet for a moment which worried Creed. Either he had passed out from exhaustion or was angry at Creed's actions. Before the silver boy could panic, his love began to laugh whole heartedly. It was a quiet, painful laugh, but still music to Creed's ears.

"Nice job, Silver Dollar. That moose had it coming." With an inquisitive peek at Creed, he asked another questions. "Do you still have the pictures?"

Creed blinked at his Cat. "What?" Train gave him a mischievous smirk which lifted Creed's heart to the heavens. The silver teen sighed and dug the crumpled papers out of his pocket. He handed them to Train who grabbed them with a sigh.

After another moment of silence, Train burst into laughter. A coughing fit halted his chuckles and brought Creed's hand back to his forehead.

"These are actually pretty good. I didn't think a moose could draw so well, since they don't have thumbs or anything." Train let the drawings fall on the other side of his bed as his eyes shut again.

"Train, please relax. You're going to make yourself sicker. Let me get the lights and some medicine for you."

Again, Creed was about to leave but was stopped by Train. Looking back at his love, Creed's knees buckled at the look in Train's red eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Creed's heart skipped several beats. _He's still worried about me? In his state?_ Tears slowly formed in his crystal orbs, threatening to fall and crash to the floor. _No… be strong… Train needs you right now._

Train smiled and Creed's heart flew. "It's okay, Creed. You're among friends."

That was all Creed needed to hear from Train for him to fall onto his beloved's chest and bawl. Years and years of abuse were released in that moment as he clung desperately to Train's shirt. The salty substance that fell from his blue eyes soaked Train's shirt and there was nothing Creed could do to stop it. He felt guilty laying this all on his love especially when he was so sick, but he couldn't help himself.

Train's hand landed heavily on Creed's head. The Cat was obviously unable to completely control his movements so the gesture was rougher than expected. More tears fell from Creed's eyes as Train did his best to ruffle his hair like he normally did.

"It's okay, Creed. Life really likes to kick you in the balls. But, don't give up hope. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel."

The silver haired boy looked up at Train, seeing the distance in those golden orbs. Creed wanted to reach out and caress Train's face, to grab that something his love was looking for and give it to him. But, he knew neither of them could ever grasp what Train was looking for. His parents could never come back… and there was nothing either of them could do about.

Creed sniffled and wiped his face, giving his Cat the best smile he could muster. It must have failed since his hero giggled. After gazing into his eyes for a moment longer, Creed stood and straightened his clothes out.

"Thank you, Train. But, now I need to take care of _you_." This time he walked away and made sure Train didn't stop him. He grabbed his idol's keys that were dropped in front of the door. As he stepped out of the apartment, he looked back at his love who was already falling asleep. "I'll be back shortly."

A pensive smiled sprung along Creed's slender lips. He flicked the lights off and left for the store. He'd definitely be back as quickly as he could. He wouldn't miss this for the world.

* * *

Twenty minutes and about a hundred dollars later Creed was back. He was about fifty pounds heavier from all the bags he was carrying. The boy bought five different kinds of medicines, five different juices, fruits, breads, water and most importantly: milk. All in all, Creed was very proud of himself.

When he entered Train's room, he was sure to keep the lights off. Across the room he could see Train's chest moving up and down beneath the blanket, signaling that his Cat was still sleeping. Creed smiled sweetly and made his way to Train's small fridge.

Opening the door let a little light out which was enough to help Creed see. The young man frowned, seeing what little room he had to work this. _I guess I should have kept in mind how small his fridge was…_

However, Creed was on a mission. He was determined to fit everything in there. _Well, this can go. These eggs are WAAAY past this expiration date._ Creed removed the eggs from the fridge and put them in one of the now empty grocery bags. The teen continued filling the fridge, unaware of the movement coming from the other side of the room.

Train let out a groan, pushing up from the bed and squinting across the room. The Cat could see movement happening by his fridge and began to panic. Only after he clicked on the lamp next to his bed did he realize that Creed had returned. He sighed, slowing down his heart rate. _That's right… Creed forced me to come home… I must have passed out after he told me what happened today._

"Creed, you didn't have to get so much. As you can see, I don't have much room."

Creed's blue orbs jumped at the sound of Train's voice, most likely startled at the sudden sound. "Train!" Creed cried, looking down at the pile of supplies around him and blushing. "W-well… I wanted to be certain I got everything you could possibly need."

The Silver Dollar's eyes then drifted down to Train's chest. A strange, yet familiar feeling began to form at the bottom of his stomach. The feel began to mature as Train let the blankets fall from his body, revealing a completely bare chest.

Despite Train's young age and never having enough time to work out, his muscles were more developed than most men in their mid twenties. His abs were sculpted to perfection, shoulders sturdy and burly. The muscles in his arms twitched faintly, as if they were beckoning Creed to touch them.

A bit of droll slithered down the side of Creed's mouth, his eyes glossed over with desire. Train hadn't noticed his friend's eyes drinking him in. The catnap definitely made him feel better, but his body still felt so tired. Much to Creed's disapproval Train lay back down, pulling the blankets over his head to block the sun that was beginning to set.

As his love groaned, Creed snapped out of his stupor. _Ah! Medicine. Right. Sick Train. Must help._

His caveman like thoughts are what brought him over to his hero, five different bottles of medicine in his arms. Train could feel Creed standing at the side of his bed and turned over. The blankets fell a little bit to reveal his exposed collar bone.

As Creed began to droll again, Train sulked. After taking a moment to follow Creed's gaze, he pulled the blankets up a little higher. "Sorry, it was too hot. I needed to take my shirt off in order to breathe. I can put it back on if it makes you too uncomfortable."

"No!" Train jumped at Creed's loud protest. Biting his lip, Creed explained himself. "I mean… if you're that warm, then you should leave it off."

_Nice save, Creed…_ His thoughts mocked him as his red face betrayed him.

Before Train could question his friend further, a thermometer was shoved into his mouth. After a few moments it beeped and Creed removed it. A frown was displayed on the blue eyed teen's petite face.

"101… that's not good. Maybe we should take you to a doctor."

Train rolled his eyes and turned back over. "Yeah, with what insurance?" His question was filled with spite.

With a sigh, Creed agreed. "Okay, you have a point. Then here, just take this."

"Take what—" When Train turned around to look at his partner his mouth was greeted with a spoonful of blue liquid.

The Cat coughed and sputtered, but swallowed the blue substance nevertheless. "What is that?"

Creed didn't answer his question and instead forced a pill into his mouth. Train was again sputtering, coughing as he swallowed down the medication. The brunette could see Creed was coming in for a third time and covered his mouth.

"Creed, you're gonna overdose me!"

This was enough to make Creed stop. Embarrassed, the silver boy looked away. "Y-you're right… Sorry."

Train chuckled and patted his friend's head. "It's fine. Thank you for all that, but… I really can't keep my eyes open any longer… I just… need to sleep…"

The Cat's eyes were already closed and his body was already sinking deeper into his bed. Creed smiled, running his fingers through his beloved's hair.

"Okay, Train. I'll leave juice, water and milk next to your bed."

Train gave his partner a weak nod and allowed sleep to take him. A happy little sigh came from the direction of Creed which Train did not notice. He was already fast asleep, unaware of the blissful state Creed had fallen into.

Creed watched his friend sleep, nothing but glee in the air surrounding him. The hand that was caressing Train's hair fell to Train's cheek. His skin felt cooler after a few minutes which lifted a weight in Creed's heart.

_Good, he'll be better soon enough, until then, I'll be here._

The Silver Dollar's hand moved down to Train's hand, soothingly stroking at the dazzling, sallow skin.

"I'll always be here, my Love." Those were Creed's last words before he rest his head on Train's bed, knees bent on the ground as sleep stole his consciousness as well.


	6. Suspension Sucks...  Or Does It?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Cat or its characters

* * *

** Suspension Sucks… Or Does it? **

Gold bars were slowly painted against colorless, cracked walls giving the inert room the appearance of life. As the pans of light slithered along the room until it made contact with a petite bed, the occupant decorating it still fast asleep. It wasn't until the sun was pointed directly at Train did his lids split slightly, divulging the amber orbs hidden behind them.

A groan was the only sound the vacant room held, the noise bouncing off the dull walls like a laser beam. After a few minutes of blinking, the brunette finally kept his eyes open; adjusting to the brightness that now filled the room.

As he lay in the bed staring at his faraway ceiling, Train gasped, suddenly sitting up straight.

"What time is it?" He shouted throwing his blankets to what he thought was the ground. What the boy failed to notice was the muffled yelp released when he pushed the constricting covers to the side.

Before the occupant that was now concealed under the blanket could react, Train had leapt from his bed, foot catching on the top of Creed's head. The poor silver teen was unaware and unprepared when the foot of his beloved smashed against his forehead. What made it worse was Train had no idea why he was now falling face first to the floor of his apartment.

Creed yelped again and Train screamed as the friends now both lay slumped along the floor. The blue eyed teen was still underneath the blanket, his back flat against the hard titles with the Cat's foot still in his face. Train was just above him, face distorted and arms sprawled on either side of his body.

"Ow…" was the only thing Train echoed in the room.

Movement quickly began to form below the blanket as pale fingers searched for freedom. After several second of annoyed grunts and mumbled words, dexterous fingers found the edge of the blanket and yanked them down. Creed gasped in precious gulps of air, his heart racing from the kick he had just taken.

Train, on the other hand, kept his face against the floor, moaning as if he were a ghost. "What… the… Hell…"

Creed heard his Cat and turned around to see the boy lying on the floorboards. Concern immediately flooded his childlike eyes, hurriedly crawling over to his idol.

"Train! Are you okay?" The boy asked once he was next to his friend.

After a few moments of silence, Train's head finally lifted. He sniffed the air a few times, opening and closing his mouth as if he were checking something. "Actually…" His voice had returned to its normal tone. "I'm… fine. In fact—"

The golden boy jumped into the air, stretching his arms high and wide. He cracked his neck and knuckles, his muscles no longer aching and his nostrils able to breathe freely.

Train spun around to face Creed, hands on his lean hips with his trademark cheeky smile back upon his lips. "I feel great! Thanks, buddy, I think that medicine you gave me really did the trick. What was that stuff?"

It didn't taste too bad and it was able to cure him in a night, so Train was curious. The only other time he had every felt this better after being sick was when his mother was there to greet him with her warm smile and loving embrace.

_It seems like Creed was at my bedside all night this time and though I am grateful towards him it's not the same as the love of a mother._

It took Creed a few seconds to totally absorb his love's words. Other than the fact that he just had a blanket thrown on top of him and was kicked in the face, Creed had to get over the image of Train standing in front of him shirtless.

The silver boy could feel his mouth dropping more and more as his eyes scanned farther down his hero's chest. The night before Creed had not gotten the full effect of Train's flawless body. All he was able to see last night was from just above his belly button and up. And if seeing that small portion of his beloved was a miraculous sight, seeing more was like a dream come to life.

Train's shoulders were board, the rest of his body narrowing slowly as it neared his hips. The pelvic muscles peaked out teasingly above his low pants, the skin covering them glistening in the morning light. To say Train had washboard abs as an understatement. The Gods could wash their laundry against Train's rigid body, muscles hard enough to cut through a diamond.

Fingers suddenly appeared in his blue eyed vision as Train snapped his fingers. Blushing, Creed finally spoke. "Wh-what?"

The Cat chuckled and rolled his eyes, "The medicine. What was it and where'd you get it?"

Creed had to shake his head a few times before he could properly answer his savior. "Oh, that? It's called Zicam and I got it at the store right across the street." The boy's thin finger pointed outside as if he needed to prove himself. "It has a lot of zinc in it which is what makes it work so well."

Train puzzled over that statement, resting his chin on his fingers. "Zinc, huh…? Wait, what time is it?"

The Cat's sudden change of topic caused Creed's silver eyebrow to cock. He glanced out the window to judge the time, seeing as Train did not have a clock anywhere and Creed didn't own a watch.

"Ummm, I'd said it's about 7:30."

"Crap! We're late!"

Train ran around his room, grabbing his shirt and bag, not bothering to brush his hair (which he never did anyway). After slipping his shirt over his head and allowing it to fall down his chest he ran towards the door, stopping as if realizing something.

With a glimpse back at Creed who had coiled into a small ball on the floor Train frowned. _That's right… he's been suspended…_

Train wanted to stay with his friend to comfort him, seeing as the boy had spent the night to make sure he was okay. _But I really can't afford to miss another day of school… Ugh this sucks._

As his mind wandered to guilty thoughts he didn't notice Creed had stood and approached him. Suddenly, Train found his golden eyes staring at multiple pieces of paper, finely written notes scribbled along the blue lines.

"You'll need these. It's everything we've gone over in every class for all the days you've missed. I even wrote down the homework for you." Creed **wanted** to do his love's homework for him, but he knew Train would have thrown a fit. The teen never rejected Creed's help, but he insisted on doing all the work himself.

After a few awkward blinks and a painful sigh, Train lowered Creed's quivering hand. "Creed… I…"

"No, I understand. You need to go. Kenta-san said if you missed another day he was gonna fail you despite any grades you may get."

A growl that came from deep within Train's throat vibrated the thin walls. _Of course he would. Why would he be fair for once?_ Yeah, Train didn't have a doctor's note, but come on! It wasn't like he had been out for weeks. It was just a few days and Creed took notes for him.

Train looked into Creed's innocent, blue eyes and felt his chest grow heavy. The guilt was incredible, even though he technically had done nothing wrong to the boy.

A light behind Creed caught the Cat's eye. He just now noticed that his fridge had been opened slightly. The silver boy had become too preoccupied with caring for Train to make sure it was closed all the way.

Walking past his partner, Train bent to close the door. When he tried to shut it, he noticed that Creed didn't forget to close it; he had just bought too much stuff. The door physically **couldn't** close.

The weight in his torso fell to his gut, as if he was going to throw up. This boy had not only spent all night at his crummy apartment to take care of him, but he had most likely used up all his money to make sure Train had everything he needed.

_Ugh… I can't bare this guilt!_

"I don't know why you feel so bad. You didn't do anything wrong." Train turned around to stare at his friend, shock evident in his face.

"Are you psychic?" Train asked, confused, golden orbs examining Creed.

The Silver Dollar titled his head slightly to the side, "What?"

Train covered his face with his masculine hand, "Nothing… What I meant was, are you sure? I mean, I really don't want to miss another day, but…"

He wanted to see his friends again and get back to work. Not only did he miss school, but he had to call out of work every day.

Creed's sigh brought Train out of his guilty thoughts. "Train, you didn't do anything wrong. I was suspended on my own merit, not because of you."

_Okay, well, **technically** it was because of him. But, it's not his fault I love him so much that I'd throw a trashcan on a wild moose._

A sad, small smile swam along Creed's bony cheeks. "It's not your fault."

The silver boy could tell his love was going to protest again, so he raised a hand to stop him. "Like you said, you need to get back to class and like **_I_** said it's not your fault. I did what I did, and there's nothing that can be done to change that." Creed heaved a low sigh as he continued his statement. "Besides, you helped me a lot as well… I don't know what I would have done if I didn't run into you at that time…"

Even though he knew Train hadn't exactly been looking for him, he still found him. Train always seemed to be able to find him, no matter what the circumstances were. Not only that, his hero put his own well fare aside to make sure Creed was properly taken care of.

_He's done more than I could ever ask for… How could I possibly ask him to stay with me for the day…?_

"Well, I know Saya and the gang won't appreciate you not stopping by. Just walk with me to school and say hi, okay?"

Creed gaped at his love, the appreciation filling his heart almost too much to bear. "Thank you, but—"

It was Train's turn to cut him off. "Shut up. We're going." The Cat then slammed the fridge door shut and grabbed Creed's wrist. Within seconds the duo was out the door and on their way to school.

There was not much time for small talk on the way since Train needed to hurry. If he wanted to get a hold of Saya, Sven and Eve before class he needed to hurry. At this rate he wasn't going to make it to first period let alone see his friends.

It had taken them a half hour to get to Train's apartment the other day, but it was only a fifteen minute sprint for Train and his renewed health.

The brunette could see his friends in the distance, the group splitting apart so they could get to class. Train had to stop them before that could happen.

"GUYS! WAAAAAIT!" Train shouted t the top of his lungs, thrilled to hear his voice was back to normal.

As one, Saya, Sven and Eve turned in the direction of Train, recognizing his voice. The teen's hold on Creed had never lessened and the silver boy was struggling to keep up. Their friends smiled, Saya laughing as she watched Train drag Creed behind him.

"Heeey! Long time to see!" Shouted the short haired girl, waving her hand aggressively in the air.

Train finally reached the trio, pulling Creed at his side. Both the boys slouched forward, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down their pale faces.

The Cat was the first to speak, "Hi… Sorry to have skipped out of you guys the past few days, but I was too busy dying."

Eve and Saya's eyes widened, looking at Train as if he had just sprouted a second head, "WHAT?" They exclaimed together.

No, no, no, it was just a little cold. Creed took care of me though, so I'm all better now."

The group was still confused, eyeing Creed's red, tired face before turning back to Train. This time Sven spoke. "Well, there's no time to get details now, we gotta get to class. It's good to have ya back, pal." The green teen patted his back and turned around. "We'll catch up at lunch."

Train could barely wave as Sven and his golden-haired Goddess departed. He wiped his brow and took a big breath of air. His chest expanded slowly, drinking the air as if it were a fine wine. It was nice to be able to breathe again, and he wasn't about to take advantage of that again.

"Well, it seems like you're feeling a lot better. I don't know how bad you were and I'm sure you won't tell me. That's why I'll have to question Creed later." Saya's words were gentle in Train's ear. It was good to hear her voice against after being so sick.

"I won't be in school today."

Saya looked up at the teen that was now standing straight, flattening his messy hair. He didn't answer the girl's curious look, his eyes cold and staring at the ground. Luckily for him, Train had his back.

"He was suspended for standing up to Baldor…" the guilt in Train's voice was insufferable for Saya to hear.

"What? Really? What happened?"

"I'll… explain later…" Train looked regretfully at his friend. He honestly wasn't sure how he was going to get through the day without Creed's help. He'd be back to square one: scribbling everything the teacher said down and hoping he'd understand it all later.

_Good thing I have Creed's notes. At least I'll know more of what's going on._

Saya sighed, "Well… all right…" She glanced over at Creed who still stood silently by, eyes glued to the dirt below his feet. The girl reached over and hugged her friend tightly, feeling pity mixed with sorrow for the boy. "I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong."

The hug was actually a nice comfort for Creed and he smiled a little. A tiny thank you came from his lips which only Saya could hear. She smiled in return, pulling away from the boy and looking to Train.

"Well, Train. Looks like you're on your own today. Try not to get into too much trouble."

There was a smirk placed upon his adorable lips. "But I won't be alone once the principal gets a look at these! Creed will be back in a jiffy!"

Train held the drawings Baldor made in his hand, raising them to the sky as if they were a prize. Creed's eyes widened. _When did he—?_

Grabbing his Cat's wrist, he lowered Train's hand. "Train… please… don't…" He didn't want to get the boy he adored involved. As far as anyone knew, Creed was just a troubled boy who took out his aggression on a bully.

A dark eyebrow rose. "Eh?"

Saya giggled and began to walk away. "You guys figure this out on your own. I'll see you at lunch, Train-kun. Try not to get too bored without us, Creed-kun!" With that, she was off, galloping to her class like a horse.

The boys barely noticed her leaving. Train was too busying giving his partner a confused look and Creed was too busy pleading with his love.

"Train… I didn't tell Hotaka-san what happened so you wouldn't get involved. Please, just stay out of it. It doesn't concern you and you don't need to slander yourself for me."

Train blinked at his friend. "What?" _He's always protecting me… Why is he always protecting me? **What** is he protecting me from?_

The Cat was about to refuse Creed's request, but felt guilt clamp around his heart once more. He moaned in exasperation, unable to deny Creed when he saw the tears threatening to form in those youthful, blue orbs.

"Arrrgh! Fine! Have it your way." He turned and crossed his arms, allowing his stubborn back to face his friend. "You're like an annoying little brother sometimes."

Train didn't need to turn around to know Creed was frowning immensely at the brunette. The teen was about to turn and apologize to his friend for sounding so harsh, but found his words were blocked out by a different voice.

"Creed Diskence! What are you doing here?"

Storming across the school yard and towards the duo was their sensei, Kenta. Amber eyes burst into flames upon seeing the man, unwilling to contain his anger.

As he got closer, Kenta looked down at Train as if he were a bug. He could see the hate in the Cat's eyes, but ignored it in favor of tormenting Creed.

"You are suspended which means you are not to be on school grounds. Go home. Now."

Train could feel his friend beginning to turn and walk away. Before he could, the Cat grabbed his arm gently. Hate was replaced with kindness and sympathy, which seemed to lighten up the silver boy a little.

"I'm sorry… We'll see you in a few days." Train whispered just loud enough for Creed to hear.

A single tear fell from the blue orbs which did nothing to help the remorse Train felt. He watched as his silver friend became smaller and smaller in the distance as his sensei dragged him off to class. The brunette chose to ignore the malevolent comments Kenta made and just allowed himself to be hauled to class.

* * *

"It's just not fair!" Train whined, flailing his arms around as if that was going to make anything better. "That moose was asking for it! Just look at these pictures!"

The Cat and his friends were enjoying lunch with one another as he told them Creed's sorrowful story. Eve frowned as she took in each picture, picking the papers up delicately as if they were going to fall apart at her touch.

"It really isn't fair… How is this going to help Creed learn to stand up for himself?"

All of them knew what a hard time Creed had defending himself and whenever he did they were sure to give him lots of pats on the back. He couldn't rely on them to stand up for him all the time, so he needed to learn to respect himself enough to fight against others.

A giggle came from the direction of Saya as she eyed the pictures with interest. "I know these are really hurtful drawings, but I can't help but admire the work he put into these. It's like he has nothing better to do with his time."

"He probably doesn't…" Came Sven's mumbled voice, his large hand picking up another picture. He frowned deeply and addressed Train. "I know this sucks and all and that we all miss him right now, but why do you feel so responsible, Train? You never taught him to act this way."

The group had started an inside joke that Train was Creed's older brother that had to watch over him all the time. With the way Creed followed after him and Train's naturally protective nature, they really didn't know how to see it another way. Well… Eve had offered a different solution, but the group quickly dismissed Creed having certain _affections_ towards the boy. It just didn't work that way.

_"But… why?"_

_Saya and Sven stared at her for several seconds before the green teen answered._

_"It just… doesn't, Eve. Please don't question it further. Don't your parents teach you these things?"_

_The golden girl shook her head. "No. They say I'm too young."_

_"Well, you are. So, just listen to us when we say it doesn't work that way and move on with everything, okay, Princess?" Saya's voice had taken on a harsh tone Sven and Eve never heard from her before. The girl stormed away from her friends, seemingly upset about something they did not understand._

That conversation happened while Train was out of school and Creed was not present. The three of them decided not to discuss it anymore, since they had already pushed the idea aside as ludicrous. However, Eve often questioned Sven in private and the boy couldn't blame her. Creed was **awfully** attached to Train, and even though their feline friend didn't seem to notice just how strong the attachment was, the rest of the group did.

"Because of this." Train said slapping the picture Baldor drew of the Cat on the table.

Eve and Saya gasped upon seeing the graphic picture. Despite how well drawn it was, the group was still shocked to see such violence made in what should have been a quick scribble.

Train folded his arms in aggravation. "Creed explained to me that he didn't go over the edge until he saw his picture. You know how he gets when it come to my well-fare."

The Cat wasn't sure why his friend was unable to defend himself, but when it came to Train it was all hands on deck. The idea bewildered him beyond belief, but that didn't make it any less true.

Sven sighed, falling back into his chair. "You're right, but that still doesn't make it your fault. How can you blame yourself for something you can't control? You can't control the way our Silver Dollar feels and acts."

A moment of silence fell across the table as Train thought. "I know…" He said finally, allowing his forehead to hit the table. "I know… I just feel like, as his brother figure, that I should set a better example. It's not like I've always treated Baldor's bullying in the most polite fashion."

"There's no being polite to that moose, Train, and you of all people should know that." Eve's voice was stern, as if she were scolding her son.

"Plus, this is really bad, Train-kun." Saya stated matter-of-factly, slapping the doodles on the table. "I can't say I'd really be able to control my temper if someone drew pictures like this of my friends either. I respect what Creed did; I just wish he didn't have to get punished for it. Why won't he tell Hotaka-san what happened? He's an understanding man."

"Creed doesn't want to get me involved."

The group fell into a stunned silence. Similar thoughts were floating through all of their heads. They all knew Creed cared about Train, but would the kid really throw himself so far under the bus just so the Cat wouldn't have to suffer a minor inconvenience?

Train's sigh broke the silence. "Yeah… I know… It's completely unreasonable, but he begged me not to tell Hotaka-san. And after all he's done for me; I can't possibly betray him like that."

Saya frowned, "What exactly did he do for you last night…?"

The brunette looked at his friend, curious as to what that look in her eyes meant. "He took care of me. My grandparents were out and I just happened to run into Creed when I was trying to make my way to school."

The lie was rehearsed since he knew one of them was going to ask. Now all he had to do was wait for them to believe.

"Why didn't you call one of us? We know your grandparents just got you a cheap cell phone."

This was true. Train finally decided he needed to get a cheap phone in order to stay in contact with his friends more and so that he could call his job without too much trouble. However, there were firm restrictions on his phone. He only had about a two-hundred text message limit per month and thirty hours worth of minutes.

"Like I said, I only happened to run into Creed. I was on my way back to school since I didn't want to miss any more days and he was just leaving after being suspended. It was a chance meeting, I wasn't looking for him." For once, everything he said was the truth. "And he literally dragged me back home. I had little choice in the matter."

He waited for his friends to respond, holding his breath, praying that they'd believe it. _I don't see why they wouldn't. It **is** the truth after all._

Sven's sigh lowered his stress level, "Yeah… that sounds like something Creed would do."

Saya and Eve nodded in agreement and Train let out another sigh. As if on cue, Train felt a disturbance in his pockets. The Cat jumped a little and pulled out the small, out-of-date square he called his phone. He flicked it open and noticed he had received a text message.

His eyes twinkled with excitement, receiving the first bit of good news he had gotten in weeks. _Power-failure at work… this means I don't have to go in today! And, luckily for me, I'm still getting my regular paycheck._ His boss was a really considerate and never held his staff responsible for something out of their control. Since he knew it wasn't fair to skip out on a paycheck when Train had done nothing wrong, he had decided to still give him money.

"Hey, Train…"

A female voice broke Train from his thoughts. His golden eyes rose from his phone, now staring into Saya's hopeful, teal ones. The girl seemed to be evading the Cat's as she blushed.

"Well… I'm sure this is going to end in a negative fashion but… You busy after school?"

Sven wiped his lips so that they were free of crumbs and joined Saya in her quest. "Please don't turn us down again, Train. I don't know how much more heart break this girl can take." He elbowed Saya playfully which earned an annoyed glare from the girl.

"Sven and I planned on working on our homework together then getting dinner later." Eve had shut her book as if this were a serious conversation.

Saya was still avoiding Train's gaze, "Yeah, and I thought while they did that you and I could hang out until we heard from them." Teal eyes rose to meet Train's gold ones, the Cat's heart breaking at the look she gave him. It was pleading, optimistic yet still compassionate and understanding.

_I guess I can't blame her for being so desperate. Sven and Eve have been acting more and more like a couple lately. It must suck for Saya being the third wheel all the time._

The golden boy looked down at his phone with a smile. He wanted to scream 'yes' and jump into the air with glee. It had been so long since he gone out with his friends and he had finally gotten to opportunity. The thought was a pleasant one. It would be a great way to relax and forge deeper bonds with the teens he referred to as his best friends.

However, a pang in his heart reminded him of another plight.

_Creed…_

The idea of going out to have a good time with his friends suddenly left a sour taste in his mouth. How could he possibly be so heartless when Creed had never shown him anything but compassion? The boy could have gone home and left Train for dead at the school, but instead he brought him home and took care of him.

_Not only that, but he didn't judge or ask questions about my living situation. He even brought me medicine and food with his own money. Hell, the reason he's not here right now is because of me in the first place!_

The decision was painful, but final.

_This may be the only time I get with Saya and them… but this lump in my head will only get worse if I don't listen to my gut…._

* * *

Tenuous hands that wrapped tightly around feeble knees shook lightly as Creed listened to the sounds coming from his mother's room. It didn't bother the boy that she was doing business with a man in her bedroom. It fact, he was extremely grateful she had the courtesy to keep it in her room. There were countless times Creed went to pour himself a glass of water and was merrily welcomed with the rear end of a strange man.

_Pitiful… it's so pitiful that I know how to "make love" because I've seen that whore do it so many times._ And whenever Creed's mother had seen him standing there she either ignored him or grabbed the closest object near her to throw at him.

However, none of this was the reason why Creed was huddled in a ball behind the couch. His heart was shattered, the pieces beyond repair no matter how much he tried to gather them.

_You couldn't just wait a few more minutes for Train to come back to school, could you? You just **had** to start problems and get suspended making it impossible to see Train for another three days. He was on his way back! He was probably leaving his apartment while you were attacking Baldor!_

The silver boy could have punched himself in the face from regret. He used self control against these kids for **years** , but for some reason decided against doing that this time. Other than the day Creed met Train, Creed had never attacked Baldor or anyone else before. Maybe a few times he forcefully pushed his mother's clients off of him, but that was always in self-defense.

_Just ten more minutes… ten more minutes and Train would have been there and everything would have been back to normal…_

Then again, if he didn't assault that moose he may not have gotten to spend the night with Train. It had been lovely spending the night at his love's place and nursing him back to health. He didn't even care if he ended up catching whatever his Cat had, as long as Train was back to his usual happy-go-lucky self.

_And he is…_

A faint smile appeared on Creed's face at the thought. A small part of his heart had re-formed knowing that he was the one that brought Train back to normal. That his Cat was back in school because of **his** tender love and care.

The creaking of a door threw Creed from his thoughts and caused him to curl tighter in a ball. He didn't know which man was over right now, but he didn't want to take the chance that it was Izo. In his heart, he knew it was. Lately he was the only creep that had been over to sleep with his mother and his attention appeared to be drawn more and more to Creed everyday.

When Creed heard footsteps approaching he scrambled to the opposite side of the couch, knowing that if he remained there in a tight ball no one would be able to see him. Each step taken was heavy and measured, as if the owner of the feet were searching for something. The teen could tell whoever it was wearing boot, which meant it had to be the man that his mother just finished with.

The steps stopped by the couch making Creed's heart stand still. He held his breath, really not in the mood to confront whoever it was that smelled the air. After a few terrifying seconds of silence, the boots began to move again, this time in the direction of the door. It wasn't until Creed heard the door shut and the stomps disappear from the hallway that he breathed.

He leaned his head back against the side of the couch, looking into the air as if there were something to stare at. The silver boy knew it was Izo. He recognized the sound of those boots anywhere. They made circles around Creed as he slept and echoed against the walls every morning, day and night.

_Well, considering I'm never really here that's all I can really assume. I know he seems to be here whenever **I'm** here._

There was a purposeful knock at his door which caused the teen to jump. He curled back into his ball and held his breath. He'd let his mother answer it, there was no need to reveal himself to whoever was knocking since it was most likely Izo again, claiming to have forgotten something.

Light footsteps Creed knew belonged to his mother rushed towards the door, gasping when she opened it.

"Well… Hello, there…" Her voice was sensual and confident, clearly turned on by whoever was at the door.

Creed rolled his eyes, knowing that tone in his mother voice all too well. _I may have to cover my ears on this one. I have a feeling she'll have a realllly good time with whoever **this** creep is. _He now knew it couldn't be Izo, since his mother spoke to him in a very different way. Plus, he had a key and never bothered to knock.

The man at the door did not answer as the woman continued. "I haven't seen you around here before… Where'd you hear of me? Or did you just _happen_ to pass by my window and see this delicious candy unwrapped?"

The Silver Dollar gagged at this thought, knowing she was referring to her body.

"Oh, and you're dressed so nicely… Though I think the tie is a bit much."

_Tie? Who would come to this dump wearing a tie…?_

"Oooh, and your hair is so smooth… I love this chocolate brown… And what unique eyes. I've never seen such a color before." Creed could tell his mother was giving the strange a sultry smile. "I'll enjoy seeing them glossed over in pleasure…"

"U-u-u-ummmm, I-I-I th-think I have th-he wrong a-a-apartment. S-sorry to bother you… m-m'am."

Creed's blue eyes exploded in joy at the sound of this voice. _TRAIN?_ He stood so fast that his vision went blurry for a second. As soon as he could see again, he turned his gaze to his door, his heart beating dangerously fast.

The teen watched in rage as his mother grabbed onto his beloved's arm before he could leave. "Nooo, I don't think you do. I've been waiting for a man like you for a looong time." Her cold eyes scanned him from top to bottom, drinking in his entire form as a corporeal smile fluttered along her lips. "I think this one might even be on the house."

Train yelped and tried to pull free from the woman with silver hair. "I-I'm sorry, I-I really have to be going. I-I'm looking for a friend, and I'm sure he doesn't live here."

"Lots of men stop by here, so if you stay I'm sure you'll find the one you're looking for." She pulled onto Train's arm vigorously, forcing his head down so it was next to her lips. The woman could feel the young man shake with what she thought was desire as her lips brushed teasingly against his ear. "Trust me, it will be worth your while…"

Creed had finally seen and heard enough. "Train!" he shouted, running over to save his hero from a terrible fate.

Train's cat eyes looked up at Creed in confusion and fear, finally ebbing down to gratitude the closer his friend got. The woman, on the other hand, looked infuriated to be interrupted. Her eyes stared Creed down as if he were a lion coming to steal a potential mate.

"Oh, Creed, thank God I don't have the wrong apartment." Train realized that after he said that he kind of wished he **had** found the wrong place.

Before Creed could reach his friend or Train could step away from the apartment door, the woman slid her fingers up Train's tie which hung loosely around his neck. Slowly, yet briskly she pulled it down more, revealing the boy's lean, strong collar bone. Her eyes were craving more of Train's figure, her tongue slithering out and licking her lips sultrily.

"I **know** you're not here to see **that** piece of **_trash_** …"

Creed's eyes flamed as he stared at his mother who was clinging madly to _his_ Cat. The flames only intensified as the woman's hands began to travel down his neck, reaching his collar bone and outlining the structured muscles living there.

The silver boy could see his Cat's face panic and turn red, unable to move and not sure what to do with the situation. Creed, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do in this situation. Each of his steps were fast and angry, rage filling his entire body with each movement his mother made on his Cat.

It seemed like an eternity for Creed to get to Train's side when it in fact was less than a second. The silver boy grabbed onto his mom's hand boldly, digging his nails so deep into her beige skin that trickles of blood snuck under Creed's nails.

Two pairs of blue orbs met, fire clashing as the mother-son duo stared at each other. Creed raised the woman's hand high in the air, lifting her off her feet slightly as his eyes remained locked on to hers. With little regard or care in his voice, he leaned close to her ear, making sure she could hear his teeth gnashing together as he spoke to the woman that gave him life.

"This one is **_mine_**. Understand, witch…?"

He didn't give her a chance to respond. With one, quick, swift movement he threw his birth giver across the room. The force of the throw was so powerful that the woman's back slammed against a wall that was about six feet away. Just as she was about to stand and attack her son, Creed had already left, taking the man she wanted with him.

Once the boys had stepped outside, Creed could hear his mother beginning to throw a fit, much like a child who just had their candy taken from them.

_Except Train isn't **her** candy… he's **mine** …_

Creed may let everyone walk all over him, take his books, his clothes and even his innocence, but he would **_never, ever_** let **_anyone_** take his most precious Train from him.

With that thought in mind, the blue eyed boy gripped Train's wrist tighter and began to run down the hallway. Izo was long gone by now and all Creed cared about at the moment was getting Train as far away as possible from this Hell Hole.

"Wh-whoa, Creed! Slow down! Where are we even going?"

Again, Creed didn't know. Was he running away with Train? To a far off country where no one would ever bother them again and he could live happily ever after with the only person he had ever loved?

Train could see his friend's eyes become distant and longing, a lost lonely feeling encapsulating his body. The Cat could see his partner slowly caving into himself, drowning into a deep dark hole that Train was worried he wouldn't be able to get out off. _Or I'll be trapped in with him._

"Creed… Stop… please?"

The golden boy's voice was soft and tepid, caressing Creed's soul carefully. Finally, the silver teen stopped, allowing Train to pull his wrist free. Train rubbed his wrist thoughtfully, glad he was able to finally piece together what just happened.

The Cat frowned at his friend, approaching him with slow caution. He reached out and placed a kind hand on Creed's shoulder, gripping it tightly in a friendly gesture. He saw the rage in Creed's eyes and to be honest, it scared the Cat a bit. But, it didn't scare him enough to make him want to run away.

"Your mother seems…"

"Dirty? Trashy? Slutty? Terrible? A monster? Evil?"

Train blinked at every word his friend had just thrown at him. "Umm… I was going to say _different_ , but I guess any of those words work too…"

Creed wanted to drown his Cat in apologies at what he had just seen. He never wanted Train to see the way he lived and he certainly **_never, ever, ever_** planned on having his beloved meet his mother.

However, before the teen could say anything to his hero Train began to laugh. Curiously he turned to look at his partner, wondering what was so funny. Creed decided to voice his thoughts which broke Train of his mirth.

"What's so funny?"

Train couldn't tell if Creed's tone was hurt, worried or sincerely curious, but he answered nonetheless. "When I asked the school for your address, I had _no_ idea **that** was going to happen. When she answered the door I actually thought it was you for a second, except with make-up, boobs and a foot shorter."

Creed was slightly offended at that and looked away from Train. "I'd like to think I'm much better looking than that woman."

The Cat wiped his eyes, "No, no, I don't mean to compare you to her. But, come on, you guys do look similar."

It was true. Creed and his mother had the same color hair, same color eyes and same color skin. The fact that Creed's figure was a little feminine didn't help any of that. So, Train did have a point. Slap on a pair of breasts, shrink him a foot and put some make-up on him and he'd be his mother.

It took a while for Creed to join Train in his amusement, but once he did they were both red in the face from laughter. Creed did have to admit the situation was pretty funny and poor Train must have been so confused. His mother wasn't a _bad_ looking person… just really trashy so no one could really tell. Creed didn't cover up his looks with anything so the world could see how handsome the Diskence family could be.

After a few minutes they both calmed down. Creed eyed his beloved with sorrow and lament. "I am sorry though, Train… I didn't want you to see where I lived… with who I lived with…"

Train could have judged Creed and his mother based on what he had just seen and he could have decided to never talk to Creed again after the way his mother treated him. However, the Cat did none of that. Why would he judge Creed based off something he knew nothing about?

"It's fine, Creed. I could tell even without you telling me that you didn't have the best home life." He messed up Creed's silver locks with his hand. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Creed's blue orbs twinkled like stars at Train. "It's… not that I don't wanna talk about it ever… It's just…"

"We can talk about it later. Right now, we're gonna go have some fun!"

As his Cat turned around and started to walk away, Creed couldn't help but follow him. _Wait, doesn't he have work? How can he have time to be going out and having fun? And why is he choosing to do it with me? Why not Saya and the others?_

"Where are we going? What are we doing?" Creed decided not to ask the questions that were swimming through his brain. If he was going to have alone time with Train he wasn't about to ruin it.

Train continued walking with Creed at his side, "I was thinking maybe a movie or something. How's that sound to you?"

_Beautiful…_ Creed thought, but his mouth said something different. "Um… sounds good. Are… we meeting anyone there?"

The Cat thought about inviting his other friends along, but decided against it. They sounded like they were going to be doing homework all night, and Train didn't want to give Saya the wrong idea by saying yes and bringing Creed along on what could have been a date. He'd have to catch her on another day and make it a real date.

"No, they were all busy and I wanted to pay you back for taking care of me last night."

Creed's mind instantly went to dirty thoughts when Train said that. He was able to control his urges again though, contenting himself with walking next to his beloved.

The duo walked down the street, comfortable silence floating in the air around them as they made their way to the theater.

* * *

"That SUUUUCKED!"

Train and Creed had just left a movie that they both came to an instant agreement on: it was terrible. Though Creed really couldn't care less. It was the time he spent with his beloved that mattered most to him.

"Thank you again for paying, Train… I'm sorry I was a little short."

Creed had spent most of his money on buying supplies for Train when he was sick, so paying for a movie ticket was out of the question. He wouldn't even have the money to buy food for himself for a few days. _Good thing I have a little bit extra in the fridge… as long as that woman or her men didn't eat any of it._

Train waved away his thanks. "Don't mention it. It was my idea to go out anyway and like I said, I want to repay you for all that you've done."

The Silver Dollar smiled happily. "Where are we going now?"

"Ice cream!" Train shouted, throwing a fist in the air as if it were a huge accomplishment to be getting such a treat. Which, for him, it was. Even though he didn't have much money, he hadn't even spent half the amount of money Creed spent on him.

The crystal eyed boy giggled at his Cat's excitement. "Okay, where at?"

Train pointed a few buildings down the street. "It's a place my parents use to take me to all the time when I was a kid. I haven't been there since…"

When Train's sentence trailed off into nothing, Creed understood what he was going to say. _He hasn't been there since his parents were killed…_

He could see the hurt building in Train's eyes and decided to change the subject. "That sounds lovely, Train. And I already know what I'm getting."

Train cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "Oh?"

Creed nodded much like a child. "Yes."

The teen pulled out his wallet to pay, which was quickly pushed down as Train stepped in front of him.

"What did I tell you before? Tonight is _my_ treat."

Creed could feel butterflies reproducing in his stomach. Train had been polite and kind to him all night, more than he usually was. Despite the fact that Creed knew his Cat was simply just feeling pity for his friend, the silver boy couldn't help but think tonight was like a…

_Date…_

Train would never admit it was a date and frankly, it really wasn't. It was a night for a friend to repay a favor to another friend. However, to anyone who may have been watching them, it looked like a date and that was the thought Creed was going to hold on to.

Moments later Train approached him with two ice cream cones in hand. He smiled his cheeky smile as he handed one of the cones to Creed. "Eat up."

Creed's tongue delicately licked the sweet substance, smiling broadly the more he ate. Train watched in amusement as his friend quickly devoured the frozen desert, chuckling as white smudges spread across Creed's pale cheeks.

"Come on, follow me." Train said, leading Creed away from the crowd and across the street.

The Silver Dollar wiped his mouth quickly, seeing that Train had been staring at the mess he was creating. He followed his cat across the street to what seemed to be a park or an empty field. However, the closer they got the more Creed could see how wrong he was.

The teen stopped in his tracks, amazed at the beauty that stood before him. He and Train now stood on a tall grassy hill with only a single tree standing proudly to their left. Over the hill, in the distance and far to the ground was the city they lived in. The lights of the cars and building glimmered playfully, as if knowing the duo was there watching them. The sky was dark and the stars were hidden, letting only the moon hang high above the city's lights, giving the whole scenery an ominous glow.

Creed watched as his idol walked over to the tree and sat down. As his supple tongue slipped out to lick the quickly melting food Creed could feel himself moan. Jealousy swam through his chest as his body begged to be in place of the ice cream. When Train smeared a little on his upper lip, Creed felt a minor change in his physical appearance which he quickly decided to walk out.

His feet couldn't move quickly enough as he took a seat next to his beloved, crossing his legs so Train wouldn't notice the "minor" change. Lucky for him the Cat was oblivious and most likely had ADD since his eyes were scanning the city below. From the look in his amber eyes, Creed could tell his parents often took him to this spot as well.

"So… did you want to talk?"

Train's question brought Creed out of his thoughts. "Hm?"

The Cat chuckled and glanced at Creed from the corner of his eye. "You said earlier you wanted to talk about it… I mean your living situation…"

It was Creed's turn for his eyes to become secluded. The boy had often times tried to see a past that didn't exist and a future that he may never have.

"My mom's a prostitute." Creed stated bluntly since he didn't know how to say it any other way. "And I'm 100% positive she never intended to have me."

Train blinked. He was ready for a lot of things, but not **that**. _Okay, well it was obvious what her choice in profession was and I could tell there was bad blood between them, but I just didn't expect him to be so… honest about it._

"I'm sure she—"

"No. She never intended to have me. I don't know why she didn't have an abortion. I don't know if she actually had a nice life before with a nice husband and wanted to have me and start a family, but something went horribly wrong along the way. I don't know if she was just too lazy and didn't want to waste her time and money on an abortion, but whatever her reason, she doesn't, nor did she ever in my life, want me."

Train couldn't say anything back to his friend. Who could possibly find words to comfort someone whose parents never wanted them? _My parents loved me with all their hearts. They did everything for me, so how could I possibly relate to him? I don't know what rejection feels like._

That's when it hit him. "If it helps, I know how you feel…"

At Creed's mystified look Train explained himself. "My parents loved me with all their hearts. They would have done anything for me, so I don't know what it feels like to be rejected, however…" He wrapped his lips around his ice cream for a moment, and then continued speaking. "I do know what it feels like to feel as though you have nothing and no one to lean on. I know that feeling of complete and utter loneliness and unwanted independence."

Train took a few seconds to let his words sink in to Creed before he continued. "And… until recently… I felt as though that's how it was always going to be. I'm… starting to realize that I **don't** have to rely on myself. I have friends that are willing to help me out."

He turned to Creed with a smile. "Just like when you took care of me. Or how Saya invites me out to relax every day. How Sven and Eve are always checking up on my welfare, just to make sure I'm okay. And you know something, Creed?"

The silver boy turned to his love, seeing the empathy, kindness and pain seeping out his eyes and nearly melting at the image. "You're not alone either. No matter what you may think or what _she_ may say, you do have people who care about you. Saya, Sven and Eve were asking about you all day. Hell, even Jenos was curious why you weren't hanging around me! And not the mean kind of curious. I could tell he was actually concerned after I told him your story."

Creed was shocked to hear all this. He always knew he had Train, but he wasn't aware he was becoming special to the other teens in the group. The boy allowed his eyes to waft over the city, happy thoughts circling in his brain. _I have… friends…_

Hearing movement to his left, he saw Train getting situated on the ground. His beloved was laying on his back now, arms behind his head as he idly let his gorgeous orbs close.

"I feel a lot better now. Guilt all washed away. If you get tired of my presence we can be on our way."

Train didn't know how much his words had hurt Creed. The silver boy shook his head so hard Train could see it, even if his eyes were closed.

"I…. I can't go back there tonight…"

_"Mother! I picked a rose for you! Isn't it pretty?"_

_Glass shattered next to Creed's head, causing the small child to yelp and jump away. "Mommy… why?"_

_"You know I **hate** roses. It's what that **man** use to bring me all the time."_

_Her lips contorted in madness as she eyed the wretched plant. Another vase went flying at Creed's head, making the small boy crawl into a ball and cry._

_"Get that **thing** out of here!"_

_Her finger pointed not to the flower, but to Creed. Before the boy could react, two men had grabbed either one of his arms. They opened the door to their apartment and threw him outside. The entire time Creed was just yelling for his mother, or for at least someone who cared._

_His mother laughed at his lonely cries, slamming the door the instant Creed's face hit the ground. The boy allowed his face to sink into the mud, rain pouring down upon his small, helpless form._

Creed hadn't notice the tears falling from his eyes, nor had he noticed that he actually spoke that memory out loud. He let his tears drop frenziedly, unwilling and unable to hold them back anymore. Each tear was a memory Creed needed to let out.

Train heard Creed's sobs and sat up. He had also heard the story his friend told as if he were the narrator of his own life. _Wow… he's really had a tough life…_

The Cat had seen his parents killed right in front of him and still couldn't understand the pain his partner was feeling right now. All he could do was reach out a hand and wrap it around Creed's shoulders. Before the Cat knew what was happening, the silver boy had abandoned his ice cream cone and launched himself at Train. The golden boy now found himself with a boy his age clinging desperately to his shirt, covering him in a salty liquid once more.

Creed couldn't control himself. As soon as he felt Train's arm coil around his should he threw his inhibitions in the air and clasped on to his love for dear life. He cried every memory out of his heart, not caring who saw and barely caring how Train reacted. Normally he would have been ecstatic to feel Train's arm wrap lovingly around his waist and pull him into a careful embrace. However, the tears and the feelings of loneliness he felt took over any feelings of joy he could possibly have.

He allowed himself to cry until there was literally nothing left. His eyes were now heavy with grief; fatigue the only physical attribute his body could feel. Creed felt Train laying him down on the dewy ground and curled into a ball. Train also set himself on the ground, assuming the position he held only moments ago.

"I understand, Silver Dollar. I guess we're camping out here tonight." Train let out a tired, loud yawn and also allowed his body to fall asleep. "I can't let you sleep in the middle of the city all by yourself now, can I?"

Train's deep breaths were the lullaby for Creed as the Cat drifted off into a deep slumber. The silver boy only vaguely noticed that his hands subconsciously reached for Train's strong arm. His thin body pulled itself closer to his most wanted golden boy and nestled his face profoundly into Train's shoulder. Only then was Creed settled enough to fall into the deepest sleep he had ever been in.


	7. Best Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

** Best Friends **

A quick puff of happy air escaped a young, silver boy's lungs as he leaned his attractive head against a slender wall. A small echo resonated as he did so, the boy not caring in the least at the small, sharp pain that tickled his nerves. Nothing was going to wipe the smile off his face and nothing was going to spoil his good mood. Creed was currently waiting outside his beloved's apartment, knowing that the boy was going to be there any minute.

Despite the tremendous burden of being suspended, the past three days of Creed's life had been amazing. Train had made him promise that every day of his suspension he would stand across the street of their school so his friends would be able to greet him. Creed was hesitant at first, but he couldn't turn down his beloved. Not with how much his Cat pleaded with him.

What surprised Creed the most was that his friends actually came to see him every morning just like Train said. Sven, Saya, Eve and Train were the only four that paid him a visit on the first day of his suspension, but Jenos and Rinslet joined them on his second day. Creed was touched by their friendly concern and joyous to know he had people that considered him a friend.

Even the time without his friends proved to be quite peaceful. Creed never went home. Why would he? He hadn't seen his mother since that night she practically molested his beloved. His days were spent in a much more peaceful location: under the tree he and Train slept beneath that serene, wistful night.

If he wasn't working on the homework Train wrote down for him below his new spot, he was reading one of the many books Eve let him borrow. The supermarket down the street left Creed little reason to even think about going home. He brushed his teeth in local bathrooms, bought his food from the supermarket every day and even bathed in a small lake just a few feet away from the tree.

The boy's smile widen as he reminisced on the past few days. He should have been able to tell how wonderful his suspension was going to go from the way it started.

_A date… with Train…_

Creed replayed that night with his Cat in his head every night. Even though it wasn't labeled as a date, it technically was. They went to a movie, had ice cream and then fell asleep underneath a tree next to one another. And, to top it all off, Train paid for everything. The only way it could have been more of a date is it if ended with a kiss.

The idea of a kiss was still exceedingly beyond anything Creed could hope for right now. However, with the way things had been going lately, the silver boy was growing more hopeful every day.

Creed had gotten a lot of alone time with Train since they needed to make up for lost time on their project. The only problem was Creed couldn't go on the school's campus. Even while Creed and the others stood one-hundred feet away from school grounds, Kenta made sure to stand at the very edge of the campus. He stared at Creed with an indescribable fury, just waiting for the boy to screw up and take even one step closer.

The solution to this problem was easy: study and work off campus. Train was more than happy to see Creed every morning. The poor golden boy was struggling in his classes without his genius friend and flooded Creed with questions and notes every morning before their friends joined them. The two had come to an agreement that they would meet before school so Creed could still tutor Train and after school would be used for their project.

Once they figured out when to meet, they needed to figure out **where** they were going to meet. The library at the school was always a perfect solution since it had everything they needed, but Creed wasn't allowed to go there. Train offered for them to meet at the library in town, but Creed pointed out how run down that building was. Moreover, the library was too small and didn't hold enough information for them to do research.

The next solution Train offered was to work outside just off campus like they normally did in the morning. Creed then pointed out that Mother Nature was a fickle mistress and they may end up finding themselves trapped in a rain storm or have the wind blow away their notes. Even though studying underneath a tall oak tree with the sun radiating its warmth amorously on Creed and his love was a beautifully romantic notion, the silver boy knew the infinite possibilities of it ending terribly. Besides, there was another goal Creed was after.

Obviously the idea of meeting at Creed's house was thrown out the window. There was no telling what his mother would have done to Train if they were there on a daily basis. Plus, even though he didn't say it, Creed knew it was really far from where his Cat worked which would only make things more complicated for him. Train always had to rush off to work whenever they met for their project.

The final solution to their problem was clear. Even though Creed knew it caused his hero an immeasurable level of discomfort, the only place they could meet in peace and get work done was Train's apartment.

Yes, the idea made Train uncomfortable, but he understood that it was the best place to meet. Plus, it wasn't like Creed didn't know where he lived. He spent that one night to take care of him, so what was the problem with meeting there after school for a few hours? That still didn't stop the brunette from constantly pushing the idea of staying outside or going to the crummy library.

Creed, on the other hand, was thrilled at with the resolution. He got alone time with the boy he desired most in the world in an intimate and friendly location. The arrangement was that Creed would wait outside Train's apartment building until the golden boy returned from school and Train would take all the books from the library that Creed wrote down.

Blue eyes peaked excitedly down the hall when he heard footsteps quickly approaching. It was almost three o'clock which was around when Train would get back. Creed's heart began to race a little with anticipation when he saw his idol's shadow peering around the corner. However, his heart sank when he saw a pile of books turning the corner before Train.

_I told him to get too much…_

Creed's feet moved on their own when he heard his beloved's fraught voice yell out as his trim arms lost grip on the books he was caring. The silver boy didn't make it in enough time to catch Train or the books. All he could do was watch as the books flew in the air and come crashing down on Train's spiky head.

The boy beneath the books groaned as Creed approached. His eyes were swamped with lament as he quickly uncovered his love, sputtering words of apology. Once he had cleared Train's head of an extraordinarily large book he found another book being thrown at his delicate face.

Though Creed couldn't see Train behind the book that blocked his vision he could hear the lighthearted anger his voice held. "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy so many?"

The Cat pushed himself up by the palm of his hands, the few books that fell on his back sliding to the floor. Creeds laughed and push the book away from his face. "I'm sorry, but you could have text and asked me to meet you at the school to help. Technically since school was out I probably could have gone into the library. This was the last day of my suspension and now it's over."

Train could only stare at his friend in disbelief. "What? Are you serious? Come **on**! You mean we could have just stayed there?"

Creed shrugged and began picking up some books that were shattered around Train. "Well, I don't know for sure, I'm just guessing. With Kenta I think he'd find another loop hole to get me suspended for another three days so I didn't want to take the risk. But, I could have met you across the street like in the morning."

Train had finally regained his composure and helped his partner gather the books. "No, it's cool. I was fine until just now. I misjudged where the corner of the wall was and caught my elbow on it." The Cat dug through his pocket and pulled out the key to his apartment. "Beside, you know I can't waste too many text messages."

Creed frowned as he followed behind his friend that was now walking towards his apartment. He had to fight not texting his love every second of the day. "I know… but it's just one message saying 'help'. It's not like it would have been a big deal and if it was, I would have given you any money that you went over."

By now Train had entered his apartment, flicked the light on and thrown the books on his bed. He quickly turned to his friend, a look mixed with anger and frustration evident on his face. "I don't like asking people for help, you know this."

The silver boy cowered a little at his love's disposition, not so much scared as he was worried. Yes, it was true Train had never asked for anyone's help nor had he ever taken it from anyone who offered. It was enough of a miracle that Train took Creed up on his offer to help him with his school work, why would Creed even think about offering help for anything else?

_Personally, I think he's going a little overboard with this whole 'no help' policy. But, it only scares me that I may lose him if he finds out about the paychecks I've been giving him._

Creed tugged agonizingly at the rag he still wore around his wrist. It was more than just a twisted way of holding on to his Cat; the ragged cloth symbolized the beginning of his relationship with Train. It symbolized the new path in life Creed was going to take and how he would learn to live with purpose. It was the first bit of his beloved he had ever been given, and he was going to hold on to it for the rest of his life. But, most importantly, it reminded him to never give up… because the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was all too real.

_If Train ever finds out that I've been helping him all these years, what will he do? Will he reject me like everyone else, or will he accept me more into his heart than he already has?_

It was a painful thought for Creed, but one he knew was going to come up at some point. He was still waiting for the right moment to tell his Cat everything he felt and wanted from Train. The moment just hadn't come up yet, no matter how hard Creed looked.

The blue eyed boy didn't realize that his body had moved to sit on Train's bed with a book opened on his lap. His eyes were idly scanning the page, his mind obsessed with Train at the moment.

"So, you know what's been weird about the past few days you've been suspended?"

Creed looked at Train when he spoke suddenly, shutting the book so he could give his savior as much attention as possible. "What's that?"

"Those roses that appear every day have been gone. I don't know what happened to make them suddenly stop…"

The Silver Dollar blushed furiously at Train's statement, instantly opening his book to cover his tomato colored face. "O-o-oh… is that so…? Hm… th-that's weird, i-isn't it?"

Train didn't seem to notice his friend's uneasiness as he took a seat next to him, book in hand. "Yeah, it is. I kind of miss them, actually. They were a nice reminder that there are people out there who care."

Creed pulled the book down from his face to see what Train looked like. His brunette friend was smiling cheerfully as his golden eyes continued reading. Creed smiled, "Oh, really? Well, I guess that's true…"

_I'm glad to see I can make him happy…_

"Yeah, it's nice… a little creepy, but nice."

Creed's heart fell when Train said that and decided to bury his misery in the book he was reading. _I'm… creepy…? Maybe I should stop._

The silver boy decided to change the subject. "When do you work today?"

Train looked outside, Creed having taught him how to judge the time by the sun. "About 5:30, we have a little."

"Well, we need to make sure you're not late again."

The Cat was never purposely late, he and Creed often lost track of time while they were working together. The time they spent working on their project had turned into sort of a time to bond and have a little fun. Every half hour or so Train would need a break and they used that time to mess around or just talk which made Creed exceptionally happy.

One time Train was late because he challenged Creed to a thumb war, which Creed found out he was really good at. Since Train was stubborn and proud he refused to admit defeat and challenged him until he won. The boy never won and instead made himself late for work. The second day they were at Train's apartment the golden boy was telling Creed a happy story about his parents. He had gotten so lost in the memory with his silver friend that he completely forgot he even had work that day.

If it wasn't for Train having to rush Creed out of his apartment the Cat never would have told his friend that he had a job. He tried to find another reason why he had to run off including that he needed to go see his grandparents for dinner, but Creed didn't believe any of it. The brunette had no other choice than to tell Creed the truth. He was happy to hear Creed did not judge him and even felt himself grow a little closer to Creed after the revelation.

_It's weird… Over these past few days I've felt closer to him than I have my other friends… Even Saya. Lately, I'll more readily call Creed my best friend than Saya, Sven or Eve._

It was true. Train's feelings towards Creed had grown to feelings for a brother and a best friend. He looked out for Creed and Creed looked out for him. Even though the two didn't show as many similar personality traits and Train and Saya did, they were more of the same person. Plus, even though it wasn't any of his friends' faults, Creed had been there more for him that anyone else had. It was like he had his parents back.

_I rarely talk about my parents around Saya and the rest, but it comes up quite often around Creed. Because… well… he doesn't accept my excuses as answers and I'm pretty much **forced** to tell him._

Train knew he was a stubborn person and it took an equally stubborn person to get answers out of him, which is where Creed stepped in. The silver teen's over-protective and caring nature for Train really left the Cat little choice but to tell him the truth about everything. Still, he never out right told Creed how his parents died or even that his parents were dead.

Creed had to literally drag Train's job out of him, so it certainly wasn't going to be easy for Train opened up about his parents. The stories he told were always nice, speaking of them as if they were still alive and, as far as Creed knew, they were. Well, at least in Train's eyes Creed didn't know. After all, the Cat didn't know how much Creed already knew about him.

_Creed may be my best friend… Saya too… but I'm not ready to talk about that… and I don't know if I'll ever be ready…_

"So… um… Train… can I ask you a question…?"

The golden teen looked at his friend, shaking his head of his sad thoughts and smiled. "Sure, what's up?"

"Well… I've been thinking about it for awhile… and… even though it's not a big deal. Not a big deal at all, I was still curious…"

Train could tell his friend was clearly uncomfortable with something and was getting a little irritated at the stalling he was doing. He leaned over in front of Creed and squeezed his cheeks together really hard, forcing the silver boy to make a fish face.

"Well, I can't answer the question and cure you curiosity flu if you don't ask it."

Creed had to control his hand to not reach out and grab his Train and smother him with kisses. Train's face was only inches from his own and his Cat had already prepared Creed's lips.

_Breathe, Creed…_ _Just breathe… Control yourself and speak before your body ends up doing something your mind will regret later._

The blue eyed boy unwillingly pulled himself away from his love and rubbed his now sore cheeks. "It's… it's about something Saya said a few weeks ago… About you and her…"

Train's cat eyes perked when he heard the girl's name, falling back onto his bed with a book being held high above his head. "What'd she say? You're going to have to be more specific, my memory is terrible."

With a great sigh of courage, Creed decided that he needed to just say it or he was going to waste more quality time that could have been spent bonding with Train. "Have… have you and Saya… **kissed** before…?"

Creed held his breath, nervous and scared as he awaited his love's reply. It may not have been a big deal to Train, but at the moment, it meant everything to Creed. The silver boy prayed every night that he would get to be Train's first kiss and that day when Kyoko kissed Train ruined all dreams of that. Not just because Kyoko had kissed him, but because Saya made a comment about that not being his first kiss.

It seemed like it took an eternity for Train to answer. It wasn't because he was trying to figure out what Creed was talking about, the Cat was too busy blushing profusely to give a coherent answer. _Oh… that…_

"Why… does it matter?"

Creed felt his legs beginning to twitch and his chest was about to explode. _I shouldn't have asked… it's stupid to care about this… I'm not even in that kind of relationship with Train! Why should I feel so jealous?_

Despite everything, Creed still had to know. "It…. It d-doesn't really matter… Just…. T-trying to take an i-interest in my new fr-friends is all…" His hands were shaking, the book he held slipped from the sweat that was pooling. "I-I'd just like to know more a-about e-everyone's past…"

It was funny how easily Creed could revert back to the bumbling fool that followed Train around like a puppy with such a simple question. Lately, he was starting to feel close enough to Train to ask him almost anything. There were still obvious topics such as his parents and living situation that were untouchable, but almost everything else was fair game.

Train's face was still red as he thought of a memory. A small smile tugged the left side of his lip up and he allowed the book he was holding to fall on his face. "Well… we were really young…"

Creed's heart smashed into a million pieces. "So… you did…?"

The Cat was able to control his facial expressions enough to peak at his friend from underneath the book. He couldn't understand what Creed's feelings towards Saya really were. At times he seemed to really enjoy the girl's company, but other times he didn't want her anywhere near them.

"Yeah… like I said we were little. It was a small game of spin the bottle with her, Sven and Eve. When I spun it, it landed on her. We were about seven years old and I was too shy to kiss her." The Cat stopped, face again turning red. "But… later that night she called me out of my house and… well… kissed me."

Creed couldn't bear to look at his Cat. He knew the golden boy was blushing and he could tell by the tone of his voice that this was a fond memory Train held on to. _I knew I shouldn't have asked… I should have known it would only end in heartbreak…_

"Oh… I see…" It was hard for Creed to contain the hurt that was in his voice and Train could hear it.

The Cat sat up a little, leaning the weight of his body against his elbow. "Are… you all right, buddy?"

"Y-yeah… I'm fine… But that does lead me to another question." Again, Creed sighed and gathered up what little courage he had left. Though, it didn't really matter. His heart was beyond destroyed at this point so there was very little left in him to be hurt. The second question was asked with numb lips. "Do you… **like** Saya?"

This question caught Train more off guard than the previous one did. "Where is all of this coming from?" He asked the back of Creed's head which was quivering from an emotion the Cat could not put his finger on. "You know, I feel like this questions has been floating in the air for a while now, but no one's had the nerves to ask me."

Creed still didn't reply which made Train sigh. "I… don't know how I feel about her. I mean, I definitely care about her and she's definitely one of my closest friends. I've known her longer than anyone else and she probably knows me better than anyone else."

His friend was still silent, which only made Train more uncomfortable and caused the boy to rush his next words. "But I don't know how I feel. You know how busy I am, I don't have time to think about things like that." The Cat caught his breath before he continued. "All I know is that she's my friend, and I wouldn't trade that for the world."

The last sentence Train spoke was the only sentence that kept Creed from spinning out of control. His hand was shaking beyond control and the book he was holding had slipped from his grasp. The silver teen's thumb was pushing against a pencil he held harshly, as if it were the neck a certain, teal eyed woman.

Finally, when the pencil snapped under Creed's pressure Train jumped a little, shocked at his friend's reaction to his words.

"I… see…" Creed said, his voice still sounding like he was going to die from some unseen disease.

Train's eyes were wide and his brow was raised. The last time he had seen Creed this upset was when his mother was touching Train. _What is his deal? I feel like he's always hiding something from me… Despite everything he's told me about his past and about himself, I always feel like there's something I'm always trying to get out of him that he just won't give up._

That's when it hit him. "Creed…" Train placed a hand on his partner's shoulder, feeling the tense muscle there relax slightly at the touch. "Do… **you** like Saya?"

Creed sat straight up and stared at his beloved at those words. "Wh-what?"

He felt disgusted at the thought, not that he didn't like Saya as a friend or anything. The girl had shown him much compassion and understanding, completely changing what his original view on her was. But, clearly he could **never** feel _that_ way about her. His heart belonged to Train and Train alone and there was nothing anyone could ever do to change that.

_Train could declare his hatred for me to the world on the tallest mountain and then stab me in the heart with a rusty knife and I would **still** die with my heart in his hands._

"No… I don't like her that way…" _I love **you**... How can you be so blind?_

"It's okay if you do, Creed. Like I said, I don't have time for stuff like that. I won't get jealous or anything if you try to make a move on her." Despite what he said, there was a tinge of resentfulness present in his tone that Creed couldn't possibly ignore.

Creed didn't think he could fall any lower. At that moment, he just wanted to crawl into a dark hole and never come out. It was hard for him to look into his beloved's golden eyes and still keep a smile on his face, but he knew he had to. If Train had the smallest idea that he had feelings for Saya, Creed didn't want to be the one in the way of his happiness.

"Train… I really don't have feelings for her. You don't have to worry." That was the most he could say while looking into his savior's face. Creed had to turn away and preoccupy himself with another book before he broke into tears. "I just wanted to know more about our friends… that's all."

Train didn't know why he felt a little relieved at that thought, but he did. _I really don't think I have feelings for her… but the idea of her being with someone else right now kind of bothers me… Is it because I want to know my own feelings before something like that happens?_

The Cat didn't want to investigate that thought further and decided to change the subject again. "Well, since we're asking questions, can I ask you one?"

Creed didn't look at the boy, but the shrug of his shoulders was enough of a response for Train.

"Three days ago when I was at your apartment a man stepped before I walked in. Who was that?"

At last, the silver boy looked at his friend, eyes holding a dread Train had never seen in another person's eyes. "Izo?"

"Ummm, yeah I guess. That… wasn't your dad?"

The Silver Dollar's lips snarled in revulsion at the thought. There was a violent, visible shake that took hold of his body, starting from his shoulders and pulsating down to his feet. "Oh, God, no!"

Train laughed and smacked his friend on the back. "Oh, that's a load off! I mean, he looked nothing like you, but I didn't know why he would be there." He stopped, seeming to think over his words. "Well, I guess I know why, but I can't believe your mom would keep a creep like that around. I mean, even if she doesn't care about you, why would she… do **that** with someone like **him**?"

Creed rolled his eyes, body finally calming down as he wrote down a few notes for their project. "Self respect doesn't run in the family. She may act like she loves herself, but she doesn't."

"I guess… but still… is she sure he's straight?"

The blue eyed boy stared at his love in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The brunette heaved a deep breath. "Well, maybe it was just me… but I could have sworn he was checking me out when I walked up to the door."

This brought Creed's blue eyes to stare demandingly into Train's. "Are you serious?"

The Cat scratched his head. "Um… I think so… I mean, I could feel his eyes on me all the way down the hallway. It's the reason I actually had my tie on. I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes…"

Creed's fist curled into a ball, ripping and crinkling his notes. _Why does it feel like I'm constantly swatting flies around this beautiful boy?_

"Oh, crap! I need to leave!"

Creed's rage was interrupted when Train threw a book in his face. The Cat was jumping off the bed, grabbing his work uniform as he soared towards the door. Creed didn't have a chance to react when Train turned the knob and jumped outside.

"Sorry to cut our time short, Creed! I'd say you're more than welcomed to hang out at my apartment, but there's not much to do there."

Creed stepped into the hallway, watching as his beloved ran off waving as he turned around the corner. "And it really is okay if you like her. I want you to be happy!"

The silver boy felt a cold tear fall down his cheek as Train smiled at him. "See you later, Silver Dollar."

And with that, Train was gone. Off to his first job of the day. Creed whimpered and leaned his body against the doorway to Train's apartment. Idly, he reached his hand out in his Cat's direction, his fingers gripping at the air and falling against the wall.

"No, my beloved… I love **you** and only **you**..." Creed stayed in that position for a moment longer, hoping maybe Train would hear him and turn around, embrace him dotingly and share his feelings of love. However, none of that happened and Creed knew it was foolish to think that.

The teen walked back into the room he wanted nothing more than to live in and cried. His knees would no longer stay locked as he collapsed tiredly to the floor. His face fell into his hands sadly, letting the sobs consume him.

"I'll… always… love **you** …" He managed between sobs. _Even if you love another…_

* * *

The next few weeks at school had gone by without too many problems. Baldor and his gang were still causing problems for Creed, but Train was always there to give him support. Other than the few times the moose brought up the suspension, it was pretty much forgotten.

Creed had been a little nervous about coming back to school after that, but almost none of the students even noticed his absence. That didn't surprise the silver boy too much considering the students didn't seem to pay him much mind other than when he got in their way. The only people that remembered his fight with Baldor were his friends, his teachers and Baldor.

There was still a heavy weight in his heart when he thought about what reflection his suspension would have when colleges looked at his records. However, once Creed spoke with his principal the weight was alleviated. Hotaka explained that colleges would be more impressed by his grades than by his suspension. Creed was ranked number one in one of Japan's top high schools so a three day suspension was nothing compared to that. Also, once he was accepted into a college, no one would even look back at his high school life.

It was a huge relief for Creed and Train as well, since it didn't occur to the Cat before that he may have royally screwed his best friend over for life. The silver boy tried to calm down his gold friend many times, but nothing seemed to work. Only when he heard what Hotaka had said did he calm down.

"Whew, that's a load off!" Train wiped his brow and collapsed in his chair. Creed had just come back from the principal's office with the good news.

Sven rolled his eyes and took a huge bite of his sandwich. "Great, now I guess I can stop listening to you having a heart attack over it."

Creed moped at his Cat who was giving the green haired teen a 'thumbs up' gesture. "Train… I told you to stop feeling so bad… It wasn't your fault. And I thought you felt better awhile ago."

Train took a swig of his milk, only half listening to Creed. "I was, but I forgot about the whole "permanent record" thing until you brought it up. That brought all those wonderful feelings of guilt right back."

The Cat then attacked his food, blocking out the rest of his friends for a moment so he could enjoy his lunch. The group was silent for a bit, watching as their cat friend ate as though he hadn't in days. Which, for the most part, was true. The past two days Train was worried that he had obliterated his friend's future that making it hard for him to eat. His friends were more amazed that he wouldn't eat more than anything else.

Saya's child-like giggle brought Train's face out of his buffet. "Well, it is good to see you eat again. I was beginning to worry about you. It's not like you really have weight you can afford to lose by not eating."

Train blushed a little at Saya's words and pulled himself away from his meal for a moment. "I was worried I had destroyed his life. Sue me."

"But like he said, it wasn't your fault so why stress yourself out about it? Besides, it was like three weeks ago now. It's old news, no one even remembers it." Sven took a few bites of his fries, eyeing his friend behind his eye patch in curiosity.

Train threw his arms in the air as if he were admitting defeat. "I'm so- **rry** if I care too much!" His declaration was loud, causing a lot of the students around them to stare. None of them cared though. Train's antics just amused them, especially when he was being overly dramatic.

Eve, ignoring her friends in favor of another problem, turned to Creed. "By the way, Creed, do you still have those books I let you borrow a few weeks ago?"

Creed was giggling at his love when Eve asked her question. He thought for a moment then smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "No… I'm sorry, Eve…"

The golden girl shrugged her shoulders, taking a petite bite of her salad. "It's okay. I'd just really like them back soon. I didn't finish a few of them, and I'd really like to."

Blue eyes looked to the ground sadly. "I'm really sorry… I'll remember them tomorrow, I promise."

Creed really enjoyed those books the Princess had let them borrow and truly felt bad that he kept forgetting them. _I just keep re-reading them… It's not fair to her though._

"Chill out, Creed, She's not really upset." Sven placed his arm behind Eve's chair. "Just be sure to bring them back soon. I'm getting tired of hearing her complain that she has nothing to read."

The group all looked at Sven's arm as it lay inches away from Eve's shoulders. They could see the fingers twitch, obviously wanting to wrap around her meager form. Eve didn't seem to mind the closeness Sven had to her either. In fact, she looked pretty pleased at the proximity as she eyed his hand pensively.

Saya cleared her throat catching Sven and Eve's attention. Sven quickly pulled his arm away from the girl, scratching his cheek as if that would hide the shade of red growing on it. Eve also tried to make herself look like she was busy by burying her face in a book.

The teal eyed girl giggled. "Umm… Eve? Your book is upside down…"

The ruby eyed girl fumbled with her book for a few amusing seconds before turning it the right way. Her nose stayed obscured behind the pages.

Creed and Train watched as Saya stood from her spot and made her way over to their blushing friends. The older girl grabbed Sven's arm and yanked it, wrapping it forcefully around Eve's shoulders. She then took her younger female friend and pushed her head into Sven's chest. Once she had properly made the two cuddle she took a step back and eyed the couple as if they were a work of art she had just created.

Train had lost all control as he fell to the ground laughing. Creed chuckled lightly, covering his mouth politely while Saya smiled broadly.

"When you like someone, you make a move. How else will things move forward?"

Creed stopped laughing at Saya's words. He looked at the girl whose back was currently facing him. Crystal orbs then glanced down at his beloved as he tried to breathe between his laughter. _Make a move…?_

Sven stood up suddenly, making the girl in his arms fall into his chair. "Saya! What the Hell?" The teen's tone was severe, but it was hard to take him serious when he was blushing so violently.

Eve pushed herself up from Sven's chair. She too stood quickly and began to walk out of the lunch room. A book was covering her face the entire journey out, her feet moving so fast she stumbled over them a few times. Sven didn't say anything else to his friends and instead followed after Eve, stammering out apologizes as if he had done something wrong.

Saya sat down proudly. Despite the fact that she had just run two of her best friends out of the room, she felt accomplished. Train, finally catching his breath enough to pull himself back to his chair, wiped his eyes and gave Saya a cheerful look.

"Saya … don't you think that was a bit much? I know you mean well, but shouldn't we let them work it out on their own, naturally?" Creed answered before his hero could say anything.

The short haired girl had a contented look on her face as she picked happily at her sushi. "No. I don't think it needs to work out naturally anymore. For as long as I can remember those two have been playing a game with one another and I'm sick of it."

She angrily bit into a piece of sushi which frightened Train a little bit. "I may be a patient girl, but there comes when you need to take matters into your own hands."

Creed had never been more grateful that his Cat was ignorant to everything around him. The look the kimono loving girl was giving Train made the silver boy incredibly anxious.

_Make a move…?_

"Hey! Free food!"

The conversation could not continue since Jenos had decided to occupy Sven's quickly discarded chair. The green teen ran out before he had a chance to finish his food and in Jenos' mindset of 'finder's keepers,' no more reassurance was needed for him to stuff his face.

The dark haired teen then choked when he felt a sharp hit to the back of his head. Rinslet's hand remained in the air, threatening to fall back down on her boyfriend's head. Jenos covered himself, cowering over the table as Rinslet gave him a warning glare.

"Jenos… don't be rude." She turned to her friends, mainly Saya, and slammed her hand on the table. "What did you say to Eve to make her so upset?"

Rinslet always saw Eve as a little sister, (or a dress up doll), even though the Princess didn't see her as a big sister at all. There was a blind spot Rins had for the ruby eye beauty which made her believe they were a lot closer than they actually were.

Saya, not bothering to take her attention off her lunch, answered her angered friend. "I told her the truth. Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's got her man with her."

Rinslet sighed; clearly aware fighting with Saya was useless. She learned _that_ fact years ago when she tried to argue with her why kimonos were not in style. The lavender haired splendor sat in Eve's abandoned spot, keeping her eye on Jenos to make sure he wasn't doing something stupid.

"Okay… whatever… but, honestly, why did you say? She looked pretty upset…"

"Was it a lovers' quarrel? I noticed our eye patched friend followed after her like he'd done something wrong." Jenos' words were muffled from the bits of food in his mouth. His hunger and love of free food overpowered his fear towards his girlfriend.

Train laughed at the image, since that was most definitely what it looked like. "No, Saya here just made him molest her."

Saya huffed at Train and turn her head away as she crossed her arms. "I did **not** make him molest her. I simply placed his arm in a location they both wanted it."

That statement was enough to make Jenos stop eating. "You put his arm, **_there_**?"

Rinslet could see where his thoughts were going and slapped him before it could get worse. Sadly, they did as he made a comment about how lucky Sven was. This earned the boy another slap from his woman, which finally had the desired effect as he now kept his mouth shut.

_Talk about abusive…_ Train thought, making a mental note of never getting into a relationship with Rinslet Walker.

"Gross, Jenos! I put his arm around her shoulder. That's all. He wanted to do it and she wanted him to do it, but neither of them did anything about it, so I just helped them out." She finished her sushi, that pompous smile back on her elfin face. "I'd say I was being a good friend."

The golden teen couldn't help but roll his eyes as Rinslet and Saya fought. _I don't know why Rins tries to fight with her… she always just gives up._ Saya was the only person he knew that was more stubborn was he was. Though, he was too stubborn to admit that. When he and Saya fought it was like smashing a brick against a concrete wall.

The Cat then peered to his left and noticed his silver friend had his head lowered. Straight bangs were covering Creed's face and Train could have sworn he heard him mumble something along the lines of, 'make a move.'

Worried his friend had finally lost it, Train placed a caring hand on his shoulder. "What'samatta, buddy?"

Creed's head slowly rose and his eyes gazed into Train's with a look the Cat had never seen before. Train found himself lost in the blue orbs, searching for the emotion his partner was trying to portray to him.

_What's wrong with him?_

It took a few seconds for Creed to answer, but when he did his voice was small and troubled, as if he were holding back an inconceivably painful passion.

"I'm fine… Train…"

* * *

_"When you like someone, you make a move. How else will things move forward?"_

That statement replayed through Creed's head for the rest of the day. He had retreated a little bit from Train for the remainder of their classes. It wasn't on purpose, the silver teen's head just felt clouded and stressed. He knew what Saya meant and he knew she meant it more towards Train than Sven and Eve.

Train may have been oblivious, but Creed certainly wasn't. He knew he was running out of time to make his mark on Train, but the right moment still hadn't arrived. The teen didn't want to rush things or force something on his beloved. He wanted it to be natural and right… but what if he wasted too much time?

_She's going to make her own move soon if Train doesn't do something. And, knowing Train, he won't. He still kind of believes **I** have feelings for her and he doesn't want to hurt me._

The thought made the blue eyed boy's head hurt. He could never see Saya that way and never would. Creed had tunnel vision which was centered completely on a certain feline. The idea of even glancing at anyone else made him sick.

Droplets of water fell on Creed's head which produced a disapproving grunt from the teen. He wrapped one arm around a brown bag filled with groceries and pulled an umbrella out. Creed heard it was going to rain and was prepared when he left to buy his food for the week.

_Great, looks like I'll have to sleep indoors tonight…_

The rain fell faster and harder, making Creed quicken in steps so he could get inside faster. Although he really didn't want to stay under the same roof as that _woman_ he didn't have much of a choice. There was not enough money in his bank account to pay for a hotel and he couldn't just knock on someone's door and ask to stay the night.

_I could go to Train's… but he wouldn't like me spending the night… I haven't stayed more than a few hours ever since that night he was sick._

Suddenly, the boy stopped. His innocent eyes ascended from the muddy ground, rain now pouring aggressively against his umbrella as he stared at the rusty gates in front of him. Creed had found himself in front of a graveyard. But, it wasn't just any graveyard…it was the place where Train's parents were buried.

_How did I get here?_

Creed came to the conclusion he must have taken a wrong path somewhere along the line. He had been distracted by his thoughts and then the rain so it was easy to see how he got lost.

_But… how did I get **here**? It's not even close to my apartment… or Train's… And I haven't been here since that day…_

Creed was about to continue on his way when something caught his eye. There was someone standing in the middle of the graveyard shaking from the wet, cold weather. Creed didn't know why, but he found himself walking forwards the drenched figure, dumping his bag of food at the gates.

The more steps he took towards the nameless form the more he slowed his movements. Creed finally stopped next to a tree about ten feet away from the soaked man, unable to make his cold legs move further.

Chocolate hair was weighed down from the rain, framing a charming, cat-like face. Amber eyes exuded in the moonlight, the whites of his eyes stained with red as if their owner had been crying. Even though he was shadowed in the darkness, Creed knew that masculine figure anywhere.

_Train is… visiting his parents. In this weather?_

Creed could see his Cat's shoulders quaking with tears, his hand rushing to cover his amber eyes as tears seeped between his fingers. The silver haired teen was suddenly swept back to nine years ago when he watched his beloved from this very same spot. Creed had hidden himself behind the same tree in the same position with the same thoughts in mind…

_How do I comfort him? How do I help? I never experienced such a loss. I've never even experienced this kind of love that could cause this pain…_

The boy stood there watching, his body frozen from both the rain and his heart. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold Train, to wipe the tears lovingly away from his alluring eyes. He wanted to drain his love of all his pain and replace it with nothing by happiness.

_"When you like someone, you make a move. How else will things move forward?"_

Saya's words circled his head again. _How…? How do I make a move? This isn't the time or the place to tell Train how I feel… Unless…_

Creed's left foot moved closer to Train, his right foot following slowly after.

_Unless… I don't make that kind of move. What if I just move my feet?_

His left foot followed right, which was again followed by his left.

_I don't have to tell him how I feel yet… I can just make my body move and let everything happen naturally._

Each of his steps were slowly being filled with more confidence. Ten feet turned into eight, which turned into five. Creed didn't know what he was doing or what he was going to say when the five feet disappeared, but when he finally found himself two feet away from his Cat, there was no going back.

Train hadn't noticed someone creeping up behind him until something stopped the rain from hitting his head and a hand grasped his shoulder tenderly. The Cat jumped and looked over his shoulder, blemished golden eyes meeting compassionate cobalt ones. His friend smiled affectionately at him, fingers gripping tightly at his muscles.

"Train…"

The golden teen quickly turned back around, shrugging his shoulder out of Creed's grip. Hastily, he wiped his eyes, unaware of how useless the gesture was since the rain quickly replaced them. He said nothing as his partner placed his hand back on his shoulder.

"Train… I'm here."

_Making a move doesn't have to mean I tell him how I feel… It could mean he tells me how **he** feels. _Creed used his thumb to caress Train's, back happy to see Train wasn't pushing him away. _And it doesn't need to be anything about me. I **won't** let him be alone this time._

Train still didn't move, unsure of what to do. He had never had someone find him when he was at his parents' grave nor had he ever had someone see him cry. He found that his body was stationary, his muscles tensing from the cold of the rain and the awkwardness of Creed finding him like that.

He was about to turn around and yell at Creed to leave, but he found that the boy had other plans in mind. Creed spun the Cat around and into his arms, squeezing tightly as if Train was going to disappear.

Train gasped as his face was gently placed into Creed's chest. He wanted to push Creed away and yell at him to leave him alone. He wanted to shout that he didn't need anyone and he was fine by himself. However, there was something about the way Creed held him that was familiar. He felt safe and warm… much like…

_Mom…_

The years of hurt were released and Train began to sob. He tried to stop, but couldn't. Creed's hand soothingly stroked his hair, his other arm holding him even tighter. Train felt his knees give way as he collapsed. If it wasn't for Creed's secure hold on him he would have been weeping in the mud.

_Dad…_

The tears only came faster as he now gripped urgently at Creed's moistened dress shirt. Memories of his parents flashed through his head. He saw his mother making him a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy night. He saw his father wrestling him to the ground for the last cup of milk. He saw both his parents tucking him in at night… his mother's surreal voice singing him her favorite lullaby.

Still he was embarrassed to be crying in Creed's arms. He was sure Creed had better things to do that worry about his pathetic life. _It's been nine years… you should be better by now…_

"You're not alone, Train… so don't make yourself alone…"

Amber eyes lifted to see blue ones. He chuckled briefly and lowered his head once more. "That's dirty… Using my words against me…"

Creed only pressed his Cat's head back against his chest. He continued to caress his love's hair, waiting until the sobs slowly died away. The two sat there for endless minutes, the dull dripping of the slowly dying rain the only sound surrounding the air. Creed was enjoying holding his love and overjoyed to see that he helped him feel better, but he was beginning to feel Train about to cry once more.

"Tell me, Train… did your mother enjoy milk as much as you do?"

The Cat looked up at his best friend, tears rimming the corners of his eyes. Glancing back at his parents' grave, he smiled. "No… my dad did though. We use to fight over the last glass."

Creed smiled, perfectly picturing an older looking Train and a child Train fighting one another for a stupid liquid. "Who won?"

"Me. But… I think he let me. Mom would give him a look and he always conceded…"

Golden eyes looked wistfully to the sky. Train wasn't a religious person, but he still could never help by pray they were watching him over him. _Or that maybe they sent an angel to watch over me…_

As if on cue, Creed pinched his cheek, bringing the golden teen's attention back in his direction. Train blinked at his partner, rubbing the cheek Creed had pinched as his silver friend smiled.

"You should get out of the rain… You'll catch a cold…"

_That's what mom always said… then when I'd refuse, she'd bring me a bowl of soup…_

"Well, I don't really have the means to bring you soup, so you'd better leave soon. My groceries are long ruined by now."

The Cat gave Creed a confused glance, unaware he had actually spoken his thoughts. He looked down at the entrance of the graveyard and saw cans rolling into the street, bread that was soggy and eggs that were cracked.

"I'm… sorry, Creed…"

"Shhh, Train, it's fine." Creed seemed to sense Train's emotions rising again and pushed his face back against his chest. "It was my choice, not yours. It was just another chance meeting between us…"

Train didn't move when Creed said that. His oblivious mind still always confused by Creed's words. He still hadn't realized how many times the two had run into each other when they needed someone the most. Despite all their efforts to be alone, they were never.

"Train, please go home. I don't want you to get sick again."

Train chuckled and leaned his back against his parents' tombstone. "In a minute. I want to stay here a while longer."

Creed sighed and positioned himself next to Train so the umbrella continued to cover them both. "All right, but I'm staying here with you. I don't think your parents would appreciate you sitting out here by yourself in the rain."

The Cat smiled and nodded in agreement. His eyes shut momentarily before gazing back at the grey sky.

_It's a nice feeling to not be alone…but a guardian angel would still be nice…_

Creed saw another tear escape his Cat's control and reached a hand out to wipe it away. Train did not push back and let Creed's delicate hand grip tenderly at his knee. Poor, neglectful Train remained blissfully unaware that his guardian angel was currently providing the comfort and company he so desperately needed.


	8. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

* * *

** Revelations **

_Don't… do it… Creed… It's not the right time!_

Creed currently found himself face to face with his Cat who had challenged him to a staring contest and since they were sitting towards the back of their class they were able to get away with it. Train had caught the silver boy staring at him in the middle of class again so his counter was a childish game. Since Creed didn't want to explain why he was staring so intently, he accepted his love's declaration of war.

The only problem was how close their faces were. Creed could feel every warm breath Train took brush impishly against his insipid face. The small hint of brown hidden in his cat eyes captured Creed's heart, mind and soul. The teen was lost by Train's entity and could find very little reason to want to leave.

_Other than we're in the middle of class and if I do something not only will it ruin my life, but Train's as well…_

The past few days had made it even harder for Creed to keep control on his emotions. Ever since that night when he stumbled upon his Cat at the graveyard the two had become inseparable. Before that night they were rarely seen apart from each other at school, but lately they were attached at the hip.

This displeased quite a few people including Saya and Kyoko. Kyoko was just sad that one of her boy-toys was preoccupied with someone that scared the living daylights out of her. Saya, on the other hand, kept telling Train she had something important they needed to discuss. Creed was positive this "urgent news" had something to do with her feelings towards him and the teen wasn't about to let that happen. Not before he could get to Train first.

_This is too much! I thought it was torture before being so close yet so far from Train, but this is Hell!_

His hands were beginning to tremble and his mouth was dry. He didn't want to break eye-contact with his hero, but he knew if they continued he was going to explode and jump on him. Creed hadn't taken a breath for the past three minutes they were staring at each other and how was he going to explain to the class him either passing out or tackling Train?

The silver teen swallowed dryly, finally taking a minute to slow breath as he tried to calm down. He made sure not to shut his eyes or look away since that would ruin his love's fun. It also didn't hurt that Creed really didn't **want** to look away from the incomparable orbs.

_Torture… No, this is **beyond** torture. Hades himself wouldn't be able to think of something more torturous than this…_

Creed's eyes finally drifted away from Train's and landed lustfully on his lips. His idol had kept them moist by cautiously watering them this his tongue. Every time Creed saw that he hold back a moan.

_No! **Bad** idea! Oh, God, I'm gonna attacking him._

The boy could feel himself leaning forward slightly, perching his lips imprecisely enough that Train did not notice. His fragile heart skipped a beat when Train's incredible lips parted with one another, raising the broken boy's spirits only to cut them back down when his Cat spoke.

"Aha! Victory is mine!"

Train's shout was loud and proud as he stood from his desk, planting one of his feet strongly on his chair. The entire class had turned to gawk at the cat clown, their sensei stopping what she was writing on the board. After a few moments of Train laughing, Creed blushing and everyone staring, the sensei spoke.

"Ummm… Thank you, Heartnet-kun for your input. I'm sure that is what Beowulf thought as he torn Grendel's arm off… but would you mind keeping quiet for the rest of the class?"

Train, still unfazed by his peer's gaze or the teacher's words, nodded arrogantly and sat down. He waited until his sensei became preoccupied with her lesson before he turned to his red friend. "I told you not to engage me in a staring contest. I never lose!"

Creed was blushing not just because the entire class turned to stare at them, but because he almost lost his senses and kissed Train. _This is getting really bad… I wanted to get close to Train, but at this rate I'm going to blow it before I can get to the level of intimacy I crave._

While Train began twirling his pencil between his fingers Creed made sure to keep his eyes off his Cat. The teen's fingers were drumming aggressively against his desk as his legs shook hysterically. His other hand attempted to take notes, but the teen could not keep the limb still enough to even reach the paper.

He glanced at Train for a second, but quickly turned away so he wouldn't become so close to Train again. Though, his blue eyes yearned to see more of his beloved and he wasn't able to stop them from stealing a glimpse of Train every so often. A gentle shade of red was splashed against his cheek as a small smile jerked lightly on his lips.

_He's so amazing… I just can't get over how perfect he is._

He chuckled when he saw his savior drop the pencil and yelp like a kitten.

_I want him so bad… I want to hold him, kiss him… love him… But, I can't force it. I have to wait. I have to wait to make my move. It'll be the right moment and Train won't be able to say no to me._

He sighed hopelessly and allowed his eye to turn back to the front of the classroom where his sensei was talking about Beowulf. His hand lazily took notes as his mind still remained fixated on Train and how to tell the beloved teen how he felt.

_Maybe I could set up another date? No, he's been too busy with work since that night. I've gotten more hours at my job as well. Maybe I should wait a little longer? No, no! Saya will get to him before that! Uggh! What should I do?_

Creed slammed his head against his desk a few times in order to clear his thoughts. After abusing his brain for a moment, he stopped and allowed his forehead to sit defeated against his desk.

_What should I do?_

A light sound of snoring was coming from the direct of Train. Creed lifted his face just enough to see his Cat and giggled lovingly at the image. Train had fallen asleep at his desk, the right side of his face pressed heavily against his notes as his arms hung limply at his sides. His face was pointed towards Creed which gave him the full, peaceful view of his darling.

Creed sighed again, smiling wildly and let his hero sleep for the rest of the period. Train mentioned to him the day before that he had to work a late night shift that went early into the morning. He wasn't going to be getting off work until an hour before school started so his golden boy had gotten literally zero hours of sleep the night before.

The silver boy had been enjoying watching as the love of his life slept blissfully until a rude sounding bell signaled the end of their class. Train jumped and hit his knees violently against the bottom of his desk causing it to fly into the air and land on its side. Train's chair had fallen back, taking the Cat with it as the teen's back crashed irately against the cold floor.

The blue eyed teen stood the second he saw the desk jump into the air and was at his love's side in the blink of an eye. Most of their peers laughed, but left the class without much else to say. The only two that actually stayed back to bask in the glory of Train's humiliation were Baldor and Ash.

"Scaredy cat!" Ash shouted, a dreadful attempt to insult the startled teen.

Baldor, making it obvious that he ignored his friend's terrible pun, laughed wholeheartedly at Train. "Nice move, Heartnet, but next time… aim for your head to hit the ground."

Creed growled as the two left the room, not giving Train the chance to react to their words. The poor Cat was too busy tending to his aching muscles. Creed lifted him up from the flood, resting his dark head gently in his arms. The crystal orb teen ignored the butterflies in his stomach momentarily to care for the dreamy teen in his arms.

"Are you all right, Train?"

The spiky haired teen rubbed his head painfully, checking his hand to make sure there was no blood. "Yeah… I think so." He looked up at his friend with wondering golden eyes. Creed swooned a little at the innocence they held. "What happened?"

Creed chuckled as he help Train stand up, sad to have the boy no longer in his arms. "You fell asleep and the bell went off and woke you up. We gotta get to our next class."

Train groaned and used his partner's body as a crutch. "Uuuugh, do we have to? That nap was so good…"

The Cat's head slowly fell against Creed's shoulder as he drifted back to sleep. Creed's heart lit on fire when he felt his beloved nuzzle a little into his neck, his chest beginning to take in deep breaths. His delicate hand rose and brushed a few strands of dark hair out of his Cat's eyes, enjoying the moment.

_This is amazing… My Cat is sleeping in my arms and not seeming to care about the closeness at all. Oh, I wish this could last forever._

Creed had to shake his head in order to stop his hands from traveling around Train's body. Instead, he used his hand to lightly wake his love so they could begin walking to their next class.

"Train, I'm sorry, but we have to get going. We don't want to be late for Kenta's class."

Again, the brunette merely groaned, unpleased with the fact that Creed had moved him out of the classroom and into the hallway. Their sensei made sure to check Train over before they left, but was brushed away from Creed's hand and nod of approval. Only after seeing the boy was in friendly hands did she let the two leave.

The two walked down the hallway, Train half leaning on the lockers against the walls, half being carried by Creed who refused to let go. Only when the brunette stopped suddenly and stared into nothingness did Creed stop walking. The look on his playful face took on an emotion the silver haired teen could not place.

"Train? What's wrong?"

The Cat grabbed onto Creed's wrist and smiled brightly into his eyes. "Let's skip."

Creed blinked. "What?"

"Let's skip! Kenta's an asshole anyway."

As Train began to walk away with Creed in tow, the silver boy stopped him, pulling against his Cat's hand. "What? We can't! Kenta will **kill** us! Especially me! Do I need to remind you of my suspension a while back?"

Train rolled his eyes, stopping and releasing his hold on Creed. "That was what… a month ago, right? After this period is lunch and can we get Sven and them to meet us somewhere off campus. We're allowed to leave the school for lunch anyway."

Creed could only stare at his love. He wanted to please the teen more than anything else in the world, but he didn't want to get himself in more trouble with a sensei that already had it out for him.

"Train…" Creed pleaded, really not wanting to fight with his already stressed out partner.

"Creed…" Train's voice mimicked Creed's, as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Train, I can **not** skip and you shouldn't either."

"Why not? Neither of us has missed a day of school since I've been sick and you were suspended. Your grades have been phenomenal as always and mine have improved greatly. Don't you think we deserve a break?"

Train's logic was flawed, but still made sense. Nevertheless, Creed fought. "But—"

"Are you boys getting to class?"

The stern voice came from Kenta who was standing in the doorway of their next class. His lengthy arms were folded behind his back, stern, dark eyes glaring down at the two friends with a shrewd glint.

Creed was about to spit apologies at the man, but felt a rigid grip on his shoulder. Looking over, he noticed Train slowly falling to the ground, grabbing on to Creed so he wouldn't fall.

"I… feel dizzy…" He mumbled, his body waving back and forth.

The silver boy turned to grab his friend before he hit the ground but failed. Train landed with his back flat, face pointing towards the ceiling. Creed was about to panic when he thought his beloved had passed out, but as Train peaked one eye open at his friend, he calmed down.

Kenta was now hovering threateningly over Train, scanning him to see if the boy really had passed out. Luckily for Train, his tired body actually gave the appearance of being passed out.

The man sighed and turned back into his classroom. "Stay here, Diskence, I'll call the nurse."

"No!" Train yelled from his spot of the floor, clutching at Creed's elbow as he tried to pull himself up. "I must attend class! I can't miss out on my education!"

Creed had a hard time not laughing at the obvious show his beloved was putting on. Kenta didn't seem amused at all and turn back to the boy. "Well, then get both your asses into my classroom right now. I do not tolerate tardiness."

"He's sick, can't you see that?" Creed stated, becoming upset with Kenta. He knew Train wasn't sick, but the fact that this man had the slightest idea that a student may have been sick and still made him go to class was inexcusable.

Kenta merely scowled at the silver boy. "He said he's fine, so therefore he's fine. Now get in here before I mark you late."

"No." Creed said finally, lifting his beloved. "I'm taking him to the nurse. If you have a problem with that, then talk to Hotaka-san."

The sensei snarled as Creed took Train away, the Cat falling asleep against his friend once more. Creed wasn't worried about Kenta following after them or going to the principal. He was always on thin ice with his boss and he honestly had no argument with this situation. It was impossible to convince the principal that he didn't have to send a student to the nurse's office when he passed out.

Train waited until they were out of ear shot before he started laughing tiredly. He let Creed carrying him a little longer since he was actually enjoying being carried. _Ugh… soooo tired. Skipping really is a good idea._

"Way to play along, Silver Dollar! I'm proud of you."

Creed frowned and continued helping his sleepy friend to the nurse's office. "I just couldn't stand the way he was acting after he thought you passed out. Besides, I think you qualify for being sick right now."

Train rolled his eyes and pushed off of his motherly partner. "I'm fine, let's go get some grub off campus!" As Train began to walk away, he stumbled a little. The Cat was clearly unable to walk straight due to his fatigue.

Creed was next to him in an instant; afraid his beloved was going to fall again. "Train, let's just go to the nurse's office at least. You can get a note that way."

Again, the brunette pushed the silver boy off him. "Creed, I'm fine, really. Stop worrying so much. Besides, **I** could get a note, but **you** wouldn't."

"Get a note for what?"

The womanly voice turned both teens' attention towards their sensei, Tanaka. She was holding a book in one hand, her tiny glasses placed at the edge of her nose as she leaned outside the doorway of her classroom. She eyed the duo curiously, closing the book so she could give the two a better look.

Her stare then turned to Train who was still having a hard time keeping himself up. "Train-kun, are you all right? You didn't look well this morning either."

The teen let out a loud yawn before he spoke, which made his words incoherent. Creed decided to answer for the boy instead. "He didn't sleep at all last night and won't go to the nurse's office. He almost passed out and he can barely stand."

Train scowled at his friend who scowled back. There was a moment of silence as the friends glared at each other which was broken by Tanaka's kind voice. "Why should he go there?"

They both turned to blink at their sensei who was who smiling happily. "Train-kun, I almost kicked you out of my class because he kept falling asleep and I'm sure the same almost happened in your other classes too. Why don't you just go home for the rest of the day?"

This time it was Creed and Train's turn to look confused. They blinked at the woman, unable to speak. Tanaka, sensing their confusion sighed and began to walk away. "You are being sent home by a faculty member and I will inform Hotaka-san to make sure there are no repercussions so you don't need to worry about getting in trouble. And, Creed-san…"

She turned and looked at the boy, smiling knowingly as she winked slightly at him. "You should make sure your friend gets home safely. I don't think Train-kun will be able to get home by himself." Tanaka winked at the boy and turned a corner, on her way to the principal's office.

The teens stood there for a moment, Creed blushing madly and Train staring as if he had just seen a ghost. After a few minutes of silence, Train threw his hands in the air, shouting with glee. However, that must have been too much energy for the Cat to let loose since he had begun to fall. Creed grabbed his hero before he could hit the ground and began making his way towards the door.

"I guess fate has spoken… Let's go, Train."

* * *

Thirty minutes later the two were lying underneath the tree where Creed had shared the memories of his mother. Train had drifted in and out of sleep for the past ten minutes which was the only reason the Cat was able to keep his eyes open enough to have a conversation with Creed.

The silver boy was beyond ecstatic at the moment, especially when his love fell asleep. He took that time to bask in the glory of lying next to his sleeping Cat, brushing his fingers through those delicious chocolate locks, gently caressing his soft cheeks. Train was beautiful when he was sleeping, but not as beautiful as when he was up and giving Creed his complete undivided attention.

_This is amazing…_ Creed thought as he looked over at his beloved who was currently looking at his phone. He really just wanted to enjoy this time with his beloved and wasn't about to let anything ruin it.

Blue orbs gazed longingly down at Train's hand, desperately wanting to grab hold of it and cover it in kisses. His eyes traveled up his hero's arm until he reached Train's face. Creed smiled and sighed sadly, his heart nearly leaping from his chest and into Train's arms. He wanted nothing more to do than to wrap his arms around his Cat and proclaim his love for the teen.

_"Make a move."_

Saya's voice floated like a phantom in his head again. Creed blinked and looked away from Train quickly. He was starting to feel feverish, sweat pooling on his forehead and his chest catching on fire. The boy's thin hand clutched harshly at his chest, trying to take the deepest breaths he could before he had a heart attack.

_Make a move… What better moment could there be?_ Creed's thoughts had taken a mind of their own, speaking to him as if the teen were a dear friend.

_You wanted a peaceful, romantic moment alone with Train to make a move and tell him how you feel. What more could you want? Saya isn't here, you are he and talking and lying together… Why don't you just do it?_

Creed's eyes glanced at Train for a second, seeing the boy pull out his phone again. Golden orbs caught blue orbs and twinkled happily. Creed rapidly looked away, heart beating faster and faster by the moment.

_Is this… really right? He is calm and stress free… He's more awake now and would be able to handle my words better… There's no sign of anyone coming along and ruining things… Maybe I should?_

"Creed? What's wrong?"

Train's voice was inches from Creed's ear, creating a trail of goosebumps to skate down his arms. When a strong hand was placed on his shoulder, the silver haired boy nearly jumped out of his skin.

Train, seeing his friend wasn't responding, forced Creed to turn so they were facing one another. The moment Creed's eyes met Train's, he moaned painfully. The bullied teen licked his chapped lips and allowed his eyes to fall down to Train's. Another groan escaped his control as he tried to pull himself away from the boy he loved.

_Ugh… this is too much… I don't think I can control myself this time…_

It wasn't helping that the wind was blowing Train's scent against his face. The sun softly touched the left side of his Cat's face, creating a dazzling, alluring shadow that gave Train a secular appearance. His golden eyes were twinkling as if telling Creed to move closer, though Creed was positive that was a figment of his imagination.

_Still… I can't take this…_

Creed reached his hand out and took hold of Train's. This made the Cat jump a little bit, his eyes looking a little frightened and worried when he felt his friend's fingers wrapping between his. However, when Train's eyes glanced down at the frail hand that had frivolously grabbed his, he was caught off guard when he finally looked up. Train blinked when he saw Creed moving closer, the Cat pulling himself back a little bit to give his friend more room.

"Train… I…."

Creed did not stop, his eyes glued to Train's face as if he saw something the Cat wasn't aware of. The silver boy was inches away from his beloved's face when he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, guys! What's going on? Why'd you leave school?"

Creed's face turned a brilliant shade of red when he found his vision had turned from his a breath taking image of Train's glorious lips to Saya's teal, playful eyes. The boy could have exploded from rage when he saw Saya's arm wrap around Train's shoulder as well, positioning herself so she was sitting between her two friends.

Train, on the other hand, was confused. Not because his friend had just suddenly appeared between him and Creed, but because he didn't understand what Creed was just about to do or say. Instead, he found himself staring face-to-face with his female friend. Her arm was wrapped around both Creed and Train's shoulders, smiling madly as she turned her gaze to the view in front of them.

"Wow! What a view! This is a great hang out spot, how'd you find it, Train-kun?"

The Cat was blinking wildly to get himself out of a confused stupor. Once he smacked the side of his head, he was able to momentarily push his thoughts aside to answer Saya's question.

"Oh… um, my parents took me here as a kid. I always had fun here and when I showed it to Creed, he fell in love with it as well."

_That's not all I've fallen in love with…_ Creed's thought were excruciating, a dagger slowly plunging into his heart, carving its way deeper and deeper the longer Saya stayed. His teeth were clenched, grinding against each other as his eyes tried their best to light the girl on fire.

"Wow, Train, I never expected you to be the romantic type." Sven said, standing behind the three with Eve next to him. Her ruby eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed that their busy city below.

Saya laughed and stood up from her spot, making her way to the edge of the cliff. "Obviously there's a lot we don't know about our feline friend. We'll just have to stalk him to find out more."

Creed had an image of himself pushing the perky girl off the cliff then turning around and soaring into Train's awaiting arms. He actually felt his hand twitch at the thought and had to keep himself sitting on the ground, staring into the city like the rest of his friends were as if nothing had happened.

Train was spying on Creed out of the corner of his eye, clearly seeing the discomfort his friend was going through.

_What was he about to say? What was he about to **do**? He looked sick, like he was about to pass out. But that look in his eyes… What was that?_

He had seen that look quite often in his partner's eyes, but never that strong. It was like he was finally releasing an unquenchable urge that had been pent up for years.

"Umm, sorry guys, but I think Creed was about to tell me something before you arrived. What was it, Creed?"

Creed jumped at Train's question and turned his murderous glare at Train. The Cat was startled by his friend's look, but became perplexed when it quickly changed to a panicked look.

"N-n-no! I-I-t was nothing… Don't… d-don't worry about it…"

"No, Creed, we're sorry we interrupted you." Eve said, grabbing Sven's wrist. "We can go if you need privacy."

Sven blinked down at his blonde companion, allowing himself to be pulled away. Only when Saya spoke did the two stop.

"Nonsense! Train invited us here to have lunch together. I say we all sit and enjoy each other's company." To prove her point the girl sat defiantly next to Train, pointing to the vacant spots next to her for Sven and Eve to sit. "Come on, when's the next time we'll get to hang out outside of school?"

Sven shrugged his shoulders and took a seat next to Saya. Opening his briefcase revealed layers of food he snuck out for Creed and Train. Seeing Eve's sour look, Sven sighed. "Eve, I brought all this food all the way here for them so they may as well enjoy it. They can finish their conversation later."

Creed knew Sven was only trying to look out for his friends, but he still couldn't help holding resentment towards the boy. Eve gave her blue eyed friend a sympathetic glance, mouthing the word 'sorry' as she sat next to Sven.

Creed knew Eve was clever enough to figure out what his feelings for Train were. Sven was almost as oblivious as Train and Saya was in denial, but Eve realized it a while ago. The two had never discussed it, but there seemed to be an unspoken bond between them.

The silver teen barely looked at his short female friend before his eyes became possessed by Train again. He felt like crying on the spot, throwing a temper tantrum and launching all three of his friends off the cliff in order to get that moment with Train back. The teen did none of that and instead begrudgingly took a sandwich from the briefcase.

_I'm so stupid… How am I ever going to weasel my way out of this? It's never going to be lived down! Why did I do that! I'm screwed…_

Creed took a harsh bite of his sandwich, quickly becoming sick of it and putting it back in the case. He pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them tight, as if he were cold.

Sven noticed this and eyed his friend. "You cold, Creed?"

Creed turned his gaze towards the sun. "You have no idea…"

Train looked at his friend strangely. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Creed sighed and nodded, reaching for the sandwich again to try and force it down his throat. _If I'm going to be sad, I'll at least be sad with a full stomach…_

Train couldn't help but look at his friend every so often to make sure he was okay. The five of them were sitting, eating, and generally enjoying each other's company. Creed on the other hand, had barely said a word. He was sitting in a somewhat fetal position, eyes lazily scanning the area.

They joked and laughed, sharing stories with each other. Train had actually begun talking about his parents more than he usually did. Ever since that night when Creed comforted him he found it much easier to talk about them without it hurting.

_I guess I really did need that cry… and that hug. I really do owe him._

The group was enjoying themselves so much that they lost track of time. Only Sven's sudden outburst made them realize their lunch period was over. "Crap! We've already missed seventh period! We need to get going."

The teen grabbed Eve's arm and pulled her away. "We'll see you guys later. Lucky you don't have to be back in school today!"

Train waved bye to them and heard Saya standing as well. She stretched and groaned, clearly not wanting to go back.

"Whelp, I guess I'll be going too." She smiled down at Train. "This was fun though. We should have lunch here more often."

Train smiled back at the girl, stretching from his position on the ground. "Yeah, we should. But we'll have to set an alarm or something so we don't lose track of time."

Saya nodded and began to walk away. Before she could get too far, she turned to Train to ask one last question. "So, Train, are you busy after school today?"

Train frowned up at the girl, "Sorry, Creed and I gotta work on our project then I have to get straight home…"

The girl sighed loudly and smacked her friend on the back of the head. "I'm getting sick of your excuses. I really do have something important to tell you…"

_Not if I have anything to do with it…_ Creed thought to himself, fingers digging into the dirt, pulling up blades of grass.

Train sighed as well. "I know, but I can't help my schedule. Why don't you just text me it? Is it that important?"

Saya turned and began to walk away. "Yeah… it kind of is…" Her voice was sad, and Train couldn't help but see a personality change in her recently. As if there was something in her life causing her unbelievable stress. He wanted to call out to her, but didn't get a chance to since she had begun to run back to school.

"I'll never get that girl…" Train commented standing as well. He looked down to his friend whose hands were inch deep in dirt, face pointed towards the ground and bangs covering his eyes. "What did you want to tell me before, Creed?"

The teen didn't look up at Train as he stood leisurely. His demeanor was defeated and gloomy, as if a dark cloud had swiftly been cast over the boy. Creed slowly walked past Train, not sure where he was going, but knowing he couldn't stay here at the moment.

"Nothing, Train…"

As he passed Train the Cat grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving. "Creed, I know something's wrong. Talk to me."

Crystal eyes scanned Train up and down, as if searching for something on his body. A small tear trickled down his cheek which was instantly dabbed away with the back of his hand. He gently pulled his arm from the brunette's firm grasp and continued his journey to nowhere.

"I'll… I'll tell you later, Train. Now's not the time." His shoulders were shaking faintly enough that Train didn't notice. "It's… not important…" _Not right now…_

Train could only watch as his best friend walked away from him, a regretful feeling filling his gut. There was something about the way Creed was carrying himself at the moment that made Train feel as though stopping the teen was a bad idea at the time.

He sighed once Creed was out of sight and sat back down underneath the tree. He relaxed his head against the dark bark, shutting his eyes to catch a catnap before he met up with Creed later.

_I'll need to be well rested so we can get a lot of work done. I'll also need all my strength to figure out what's wrong with him._

The Cat's thoughts were cut short as his eyes shut and his mind drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A week had gone by in which Creed made several attempts to reenact that moment when he and his beloved skipped class. Each time was a failure since it either wasn't the right time or they were interrupted. Despite all of Creed's efforts not a single moment as perfect as that time had come up.

Train was also trying to solve a problem between him and his best friend. Creed had been acting oddly since that day they were under that tree. The boy had started asking him to hang out alone, just like Saya. In fact, between the two of them, Train felt as though it were a race to who could get the Cat alone first.

He offered the solution for the three of them to go to the library and work together when he and Creed were normally studying, but the option didn't please either of his friends. It was beyond frustrating for Train since they both seemed to have urgent news.

_Creed's news seems more… frantic. Like he needs to tell me something before something happens. Saya's seems more… sad and important. She's not really rushing me, but the look in her eyes makes me feel like a jerk._

Whenever Train had to turn Saya down he felt as though he were missing out a very important event in his long time friend's life. The way she spoke was a lot like the way Creed spoke, except there was a different air about her.

_Maybe I should talk to Saya first then. But I still have my own questions for Creed. He's been acting to strange lately that it's little awkward to be hanging around him. Also, his attitude towards Saya has changed a bit._

Train grabbed his hair tightly, pulling at the chocolate strands so hard his scalp turned a little red. Creed, who was sitting across from him in the empty library, noticed this and eyed his friend with distress.

"Train?" He reached out to carefully stroke his Cat's hand that was not angrily pulling his hair out. "What's wrong?"

Train overlooked the loving hand and allowed his face to fall callously against the hard oak table. He let his hand crash as well, creating a loud slapping sound when it landed. His response to Creed was a groan, not bothering to lift his head.

"Umm… I'm sorry, Train, I didn't hear that."

"I'm fine… just confused…" He picked up his head enough to look out a window across the room from them.

The Cat sighed and tapped his pen impatiently on the table, the annoying clicking sound beginning to irritate the Librarian. Only when the she shushed him did he stop. His eyes never left the window as he tried to piece together his puzzled mind.

_Between Saya, Creed, work and school I'm about to lose my mind. I can't figure out why they've both been acting so strangely. Unless…_

Suddenly, it hit him. Train's eyes darted to his silver companion frantically as an idea exploded in his mind.

"Creed! Did something happen between you and Saya? Did you make a move?"

Creed's chair flipped over as he jumped hurriedly out of his seat. His face went pale and his eyes wide, unable to form words. The teen's mouth continued to open and close as if he were a fish out of water.

"WHAT?" He shouted, causing the Librarian to stand furiously.

"If you two don't quiet down I'm am going to throw you out of here. Understand?"

Since Creed was incapable of answering the woman, Train nodded in her direction and signaled for his partner to calm down. He reached his hands across the table to grab Creed's shoulders, trying to force him back down.

"Creed, calm down!" Train's voice was a harsh whisper, outlined with worry. "I didn't mean to make you so upset. Did it not go well?"

Creed could still not speak. His breath had been taken from his body and his vision was beginning to blur. He stared at his hero, praying that the teen could read his thoughts. His blue eyes were hysterical and filled with pain and his ears desperately tried to unhear what his beloved had just said.

_Train… why?_

His chest heaved in and out radically, his knees slowly shaking as his palms began to sweat. He could feel his body growing cold and weak, knowing he was going to pass out any second now. Thin hands gripped prominently at the edge of the table, desperately trying to keep from falling.

Train, seeing his friend's clear distress, walked over to the teen and wrapped an arm around his shoulder to help keep him steady.

"I-I'm sorry, Creed. I didn't know it would hurt you this much." He gave the boy a friendly pat on the back, trying to cheer him up and help him breathe.

Creed was finally able to find himself at Train's touch. However, he was only able to hold himself together enough to create a few words. "Why… would you… think **that**?"

"I… just figured with the way you two have been acting that you were hiding something. You've both been acting so strange lately that I figured something must have happened between you two…" Train scratched his head embarrassedly. "Judging by the way you're acting it didn't go well… I figured you guys were either dating secretly or she didn't return your feelings and you're mad at her…"

"I'm not mad at her for _that_!"

Train blinked at his friend, taking a step back at the insensitive tone that weighed heavily in his normally sweet voice. Creed stood still for a moment longer, eyes never turning to Train as his fingers slowly curled into balls.

The Cat tried to take a step forward, but was stopped by one of Creed's hands. The silver boy had raised his hand to block Train's approach, knowing he was going to do something he regretted if his savior took another step forward.

The two stood like that for what seemed an eternity. It was as if a mountain had sprouted between them, dividing the friends from one another emotionally, physically and mentally. Train wanted to reach out and comfort his friend just like Creed had for him all those times before.

Creed wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms ardently around his beloved and never let go. He wanted to shower him with love and affection, explain to him how wrong and oblivious he was. The silver boy's heart nearly evaporated with fury. While he wanted to jump Train, he also wanted to strangle him until he understood.

_Why can't you see, Train? Why is it not obvious to you like it is to everyone else? Are you just that ignorant, or do you really not have the capability to feel that same way about me…?_

"Creed…" The brunette tried to take another step forward, but found that his feet stopped after every other step.

When Train was a foot away from Creed, the bullied boy finally looked at him. Tears blinded his vision making it hard to get a full view of the boy he needed most in the world. He tried desperately to control his emotions, but knew he wasn't going to be able to.

Instead of speaking to Train, he turned and walked down one of the isles of books, ignoring any gestures his friend made to stop him. "Books… we need more…"

That was all Creed was able to say as he disappeared between the selves. The teen knew Train wasn't going to follow him. His Cat was the type of person to give space to someone when he felt they needed it and this was the first time Creed was grateful for that. His emotions were so out of control right now that he wasn't sure what he would do to the boy.

When he reached a dead end at the end of the shelves he punched the wall. A few of the books on either side of him shook from the rumble, but none of them fell. Creed turned around and leaned his back against the wall. Slowly, he allowed his nimble frame to fall, shoulders heaving with sobs as his hand went to cover his face.

_WHY? Why is this so hard to do? Why can't I just tell him? Why does he keep getting so close then so far?_

He took a few heavy breaths in order to calm himself down. He stared up at the ceiling, concentrating on a boring tile so he could properly collect his thoughts. Creed knew he had to figure out how to control his feelings before he went back to Train.

_Why does he keep coming up with all these stories that cover up the truth? Is he doing it on purpose? Does he just want to avoid acknowledging my feelings?_

That idea wasn't entirely impossible, but Creed was pretty convinced Train was just completely oblivious. However, that didn't change the fact that his idol was under constant stress, so it could have been a subconscious reaction of his mind to completely ignore the feelings of not only Creed's, but Saya's as well.

"Ugh! What do I do?" He asked no one as he slammed his head against the wall.

Creed had never been this happy before in his life, but he knew he was going to go completely insane if he didn't confront Train soon. It was just so hard to find the right moment and even when the moment did come up, he couldn't find the right words. He tried so many times to just spit it out and tell the boy he loved him, but it was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

_You should just say it. "Make a move," remember? What do you have to lose? …Other than his friendship and brotherly love towards you. It's not what you want, but at least it's something._

"Creed?"

Train's voice startled Creed and he stood quickly. The Cat's curiosity didn't give the silver teen enough time to gather his thoughts before he could go back and explain his actions. In order to hide the chaos that was taking place in his head, Creed decided to grab as many books as his arms could hold, piling them up so that they covered his face entirely.

He started to walk towards Train, steps careful so he wouldn't fall. "I'm on my way back now. You can head to the table."

Creed couldn't see how far away the brunette was from him, but could only hope the boy had decided to walk back like Creed had asked him to. Unfortunately, he did not. Train wanted to help his partner with the books and took a step forward.

"Here, let me at least help you with that…"

The blue eyed teen was not ready for Train to be standing right in front of him. As the Cat reached out to grab some of the books from the top of Creed's pile, the silver boy walked into Train, causing the stack of books to crash to the floor. Train fell flat on his back, Creed stumbling forward and landing on top of the teen.

As books rained around them, threatening to plummet on the two, Creed found himself in a direr situation. He was currently lying on top of his beloved, Train groaning from the collusion. Creed could feel heat rush to not only his face and his hands began to shake with craving.

_Oh God… This is too much!_

Train's eyes opened and gazed into Creed's wondering why the boy was shaking so much. He chuckled a little and tried to move out from under the boy, but found his friend a lot heavier than he looked.

"Um, sorry about that. I'll help you pick up all the books if you just let me up."

Creed still didn't move. His eyes were fixated on Train's. It was as if the boy was hypnotized by the many depths of gold and brown reeling in the effervescent orbs. The normally pale face was a luminous scarlet and his forehead was dripping with sweat. Train found it impossible to move as the boy stared at him, confusion and fear mixing in his heart.

"Creed…?"

None of Train's words transferred to Creed's mind. All he could do was gaze at the boy; slowly letting his urges get the better of him. Again, he found himself staring at Train's lips. Again he found himself licking his own dry ones and again he felt his body moving forward.

_Stop it! This is not the place or the time! Look at how freaked out he is!_

Creed ignored his conscious. He barely heard the tiny voice that resided in his head nor did he really see the uncomfortable look in his beloved's face. All he saw was Train… and all he wanted and needed was Train…

_No… stop!_

He did not stop. Creed had become a slave to his own body as it became closer and closer to Train. His lips slowly parted, tilting his feminine head slightly. Finally, Creed crashed his lips against Train's, unable and unwilling to control his urges any more.

Train felt the warm lips as they pressed frantically against his. The Cat gasped at the contact which only allowed Creed's tongue access into his mouth. The Silver Dollar's tongue lightly stroked Train's frightened one before it began to zealously lick and twirl around the muscle.

Creed knew what he was doing was a bad idea and Train was most likely going to never speak to him again. He knew that he blew it, but at the moment he didn't care. All he cared about was tasting more of Train. All he wanted was to allow his tongue to dance with his beloved's unwilling one. He didn't care that Train hadn't moved or kissed him back… He just wanted to live in the moment forever and never let his Cat go.

The silver boy's body was pressing urgently against Train's, his fingers interweaving in the dark, silky locks. His other hand had begun to caress the golden boy's cheek lightly, shivers gliding down his back and arms. Train's scent has filled his nostrils and Creed had found himself completely lost. He was drowning in a sea of Train and prayed he wouldn't be saved.

After a few, passionate minutes, Creed pulled back a few inches. He caught his breath and gazed heroically into Train's eyes. Their lips were still close enough that when Creed spoke they brushed against Train's still ones.

"I love you."

Train finally made a noise when Creed said that. He gasped loudly, his body cold and motionless. Creed went in for a second kiss, but was only able to brush lightly against the Cat's before Train pushed Creed up from his shoulders.

"Wh….wh…" Train had a hard time finding his voice. Creed had just sucked all the air out of him and it took a few moments for the brunette to obtain the oxygen he needed to speak. "Wh...what…?"

Creed sighed, a single tear forming in his left eye. "I love you, Train Heartnet. I've loved you from the day I met you almost 9 years ago…"

Train blinked, still trying to wrap his mind around those three words Creed kept saying to him. "N-nine… years ago…?"

The silver boy smiled and brushed his fingers through his beloved's hair as if the gesture were appropriate. "Yes. You don't remember it… but it's actually when I got this."

He pointed to the cloth wrapped around his wrist. "You protected me from Baldor… and stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life. You took me back to a hideout you and your friends stayed in… And I've been madly in love with you ever since that day…"

The silver teen sighed lovingly as his hand made its way to Train's cheeks, his thumb tenderly fondling the smooth skin that resided there. "I've kept an eye on you sine then… Too scared to ever approach you. Those roses you love are from **me** , Train…"

Creed's head was screaming at him to stop. This was way too much information for his Cat to process at once. He knew he was just filling Train's already stressed mind with more stress, but his couldn't stop his lips from talking or from kissing Train.

"Train… that's what I've been trying to tell you all this time. I wanted the moment to be right and when it was finally right, that… _girl_ interrupted me."

Train knew he meant Saya and finally realized why Creed acted the way he did. He was mad at Saya for stopping him when he was about to confess to Train. The Cat shook his head at that thought, pushing Creed's hand away from his face and sliding out from underneath the boy.

"Creed… I…" He didn't know what to say. This was a huge chunk of meat Creed was asking him to chew.

Creed noticed the boy was slowly slipping away from him, his face pale and his hands shaking. When he saw Train trying to stand he went to help him up. The Cat shrugged away from Creed and used the bookshelves to help him stand. The thinner teen felt his heart crack at this thought, knowing his love didn't want Creed to touch him at the moment.

"Train… I'm sorry…"

Train turned his back to Creed and walked to their table. He grabbed his books and headed for the door, Creed frantically following after him.

"Train, please! Talk to me!"

As the Cat was about to push his way through the library's door, he stopped. He glanced over his shoulder at Creed, doing his best to make his eyes understanding and friendly. "I'll… see you later, Creed… I need to get to work…" _And I need to work things out in my head…_

As Creed watched Train walk out the door the blue eyed teen could feel a cavern growing deep in his heart, drilling more emptiness into his already empty life. He fell to his knees, body too worn out to cry. Creed had just taken the biggest blow of his life and he wasn't even able to cry. He wanted to, he begged to, but nothing came. All he could do was stare at the door and plead for Train to come back.

"Please, my Love… come back…"

His body then collapsed to the ground, his consciousness leaving him as his weary heart burned to ashes. An unknown breeze swept the ashes away, leaving Creed an empty canvas on the floor.


	9. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

** Aftermath **

_"Train!" Creed leapt out of his desk and into his beloved's arms. "You're back! That means everything's okay, right?"_

_Creed allowed his body to sink into Train's chest, nuzzling his nose against his Cat's neck. He inhaled deeply, Train's scent utterly engulfing his senses. A fulfilled sigh emerged from his yielding lips as his arms wrapped tighter around the teen he loved. It was the perfect moment and Creed never wanted it to end._

_Suddenly, a violent shove against his shoulders told Creed that he was no longer permitted to hold Train. The force of the push was so vigorous that the silver teen now found himself lying on the floor. He sat up instantly, tears falling from his eyes as he looked up at his beloved painfully._

_"Train… Why…?" Creed mumbled, his lips trembling with ache._

_Train scoffed at the teen, glaring down at Creed as if he were nothing more than a pest._

_"Pfft… Like I'd ever be okay with **you**_ _again. You're so selfish, Creed. You knew I was under a lot of stress yet you still piled all that crap on me. How could you do that to me?"_

_Creed felt a cold tear trail down his cheek, staining against his pale skin. "Crap…?"_

_"You heard him. He said, crap, Freak." Saya coiled her arm around Train's as she snuggled close to him. "You're pathetic thinking he'd return your feelings if you kissed him. That only left the door more open for me."_

_Creed's body reacted on his own when he saw the two begin to kiss. His objective was to knock the witch on her ass and claim Train as his own. However, his goal was blocked by a large chest. His face smacked flat into the chest of Baldor who was now standing over his body resplendently._

_"So, not only are you a psycho, but you're **gay**? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. There's never been anything normal about you…"_

_Creed's entire class was now laughing at him, making sure the boy had a good view of his beloved attacking Saya's lips. Their bodies pressed close against one another as Train's hands wandered lustfully around her body. Saya's moans of pleasure were torture to Creed and he tried to run away. However, Baldor was holding him down, making sure he couldn't leave._

_"You should just sit any enjoy…" Sven commented, strolling up next to Creed. "It was meant to be between them. You never had a shot."_

_"You're feelings are meaningless, Creed." Eve spoke next, standing on the other side of Creed. "Your emotions are pointless… just like you."_

_He cried relentlessly, shaking his head so he could block out the words of hate being thrown at him and the image of his Cat and Saya. His peers were laughing at him as Train and Saya were now tearing at each other's clothing. Creed screamed and pulled at Baldor and the others to free himself. It was all in vain since the bully was much larger than Creed._

"STOP!" Creed shot up from the floor, his chest heaving viciously up and down. Sweat caked his entire body and stained his sheets.

His eyes scanned the room in a panic, sheets stuck to his sweaty chest. It took a few minutes for the teen to calm down and catch his breath. His heart rate was so fast that he was on the verge of having a heart attack. Creed's pale hand rubbed the sweat from his forehead, his eyes shutting as he continued to take in deep gulps of air.

_Just… a nightmare…_

When he was finally done breathing heavily he stood, peeling the drenched sheets from his sopping form. His feet wobbled as he walked, knees threatening to give out as he made his way to the bathroom. Fragile shoulders shook quietly as the teen tried desperately to forget about the nightmare.

_Same one as the night before… and before that… except Sven and Eve were in this one…_

The boy finally made his way into the bathroom, turning the facet on and letting it run for a minute. Creed looked into the mirror in order to see what his face looked like. This marked the third day Creed hadn't looked in a mirror… and the third day he hadn't seen or heard from Train.

His toneless face was blemished with tears, obvious sign that the teen had been crying in his sleep. Pallid cheeks were sunken in allowing the bones of his face to jolt out aggressively. Creed's normally blue eyes were emotionless and colorless, replaced with loneliness and longing.

"So begins day three…" Creed said as he leaned against the now full sink.

He turned the water off, small drips splashing calmly in the pool of water. Each drip created a serene ripple that travelled throughout the sink, ironically contrasting the chaos that was currently residing in his head.

Creed stood there and stared at the puddle of water, gazing into the eyes of his distorted reflection. The white of his irises were blood shot and his hair was disheveled like a man man's… which wasn't too far off from what Creed felt like.

Ever since he told Train how he felt, his life had been Hell. Train hadn't shown up to school and no one had seen or heard from him. Saya, Sven and Eve all tried to contact him, but were answered with vagueness and uncertainty. They asked Creed if he knew why he was acting so strangely, but the silver boy never gave a definite response. He told them they should be happy they at least had heard from him.

Creed had sent Train one text message every day since that day at the library but got nothing in return. Although it was a relief that Saya didn't know what was going on, nor had she really spoken to him, Creed didn't know how much longer he could last without having his beloved around. He had even tried stopping by his apartment, but his beloved never answered.

Another gasp of sorrow escaped Creed's control as he continued to stare at the wrinkling water. The image of his face slowly changed as auburn locks of hair replaced his hoary ones, sapphire eyes turning gold as his pale skin tanned slightly. The new, cat-like reflection gave him a cheeky smile and winked, causing Creed's heart to both break and soar.

Out of frustration and yearning, Creed slapped the water, destroying the new manifestation of his Train. He scooped the liquid up and splashed it against his face, the warmth of it soothing his bitter skin. The boy did this a few times until the sink was completely void of anything, mimicking his heart. He now stared at the empty sink for a few minutes until he stepped back into the room he slept it.

Creed dug through his school bag in search of his phone, hoping against hope that there was a new message there. His heart skipped a beat when he saw his screen reading "1 new message" and hastily popped his phone open. However, his heart sank when he saw it was another one of Kyoko's forwarded message. This one claimed if you forwarded this message to at least ten people, the love of your life would propose to you within the next 24 hours.

_Stupid girl… why did I even agree to give her my number. Isn't she terrified of me?_

Though, Creed quickly learned however scared she was never changed her overly-friendly nature.

The blue eyed teen rolled his eyes and shut his phone angrily. He shoved the phone back into his bag and sat heavily on the foul couch. Sitting there with his arms folded, he couldn't help but occasionally glance at the pocket where he had located his phone. His leg began to shake as he stared insistently at the bag.

At last, Creed dived for his bag again, pulling his phone back out to reveal that message again. Without much thought, he sent the message to as many numbers as he could, which wasn't much anyway. He wasn't a really superstitious person, but he had never been this desperate before. The only person in his phone he didn't send the message to was Train, since he knew that would only make matters worse.

As the last message was sent, Creed found himself still staring at his phone. He scrolled down to Train's number, this thumb hovering over the name as if the longer he stared at it, the sooner his love would respond to one of his messages. Creed was very careful to make sure he didn't text Train too much so he wouldn't get annoyed and he wouldn't use up his message limits.

Cobalt orbs couldn't pry themselves away from the beautiful name, reading it over and over again slowly, wanting to absorb every letter as best he could. When he felt as though his Cat's name was engraved securely on his brain, his fingers took a mind of their own as he began to send the boy another text message.

**"I'm sorry, Train. I understand if you're upset with me, but please let me know if you're okay… Please?"**

Creed waited until his screen showed a confirmed sent before he shut his phone again. He sighed and slouched deep into the couch, feeling the hard cushions give slightly into his weight. Blue eyes shut as he laid his arms on either side of his body, feelings the warmth of the sun shadowing his body.

He allowed the warm to overwhelm his spirit, stealing it from his body momentarily and lifting his soul away from the world. His mind became blank for a few, magnificent minutes, taking pleasure in the temporary peace. It had been so long since he tolerated his brain to stop thinking and just let life be if only for a second.

It was nice to forget about everything, but as he felt his fingers subconsciously clutch at the phone still in his hand his heart sank again. Reality came rushing back to him in that second as his body quickly turned cold. An agonizing snivel emitted from his throat and sprung along the vacant walls.

"Train… please, answer me…"

"Who's Train?"

Creed didn't bother to open his eyes at the voice. He knew who it belonged to and put his guard up. When the silver teen didn't answer even when a minor dip in the couch told him that his company had decided to sit next to him. Still, the boy didn't move, keeping his eyes resolutely shut and his body motionless.

Only when he felt an unwanted arm wrap around his shoulder did he react. Creed stood quickly and stepped away from the couch. Sapphire eyes glowered heatedly at Izo, who smiled fondly back at him.

"Don't be like that. I'm trying to provide you comfort." Izo said with that same fake smile on his face.

Creed rolled his eyes, grabbed a shirt from his bag so he could cover his naked torso. "I don't need your kind of 'comfort'."

Just as Creed was about to let his shirt fall down his head and onto his chest, he felt two cold, large hands against his body. One hand placed itself strongly against his bare back, the other's fingers sketching the slight muscles from his stomach to his chest. Creed shivered at the contact, his arms frozen in the air as his shirt blocked his vision of the tall man before him.

An arm wrapped forcefully around his back, pulling him tightly against the older man's body. Izo's other hand trailed slowly up his chest and reached the clothing that was covering Creed's face. With a powerful yank, he pulled the shirt up just enough to uncover Creed's infuriated face, smiley seductively at the look he was being given.

"You really ought to learn to be nicer to me. After all, I've never been anything but a gentleman to you."

He pressed his lips vehemently against Creed's, causing the boy to choke on the tongue that strained its way into his mouth. Creed tried to push the man away, but found his arms were tangled in the shirt he was trying to put on. Izo's arm was still wrapped around his back which pressed their bodies close together.

Creed could feel himself gagging the deeper the man's tongue went. He struggled the best he could, but Izo was too strong for him. However, a thought occurred to the teen and with his free legs, Creed kneed the man directly in the groin with as much potency as he could muster.

The quickly growing lump in the man's pants disappeared as he released his captive. Once Creed felt Izo's body fall way from his, he hurriedly slipped his shirt on, grabbed his school bag and ran out of the room. He completely ignored the curses of pain and anger coming from the disturbed man and ran out the door. With a loud slam, Creed ran down the hallway as fast as he could. At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to be as far away from that place as he could possibly get.

Once he was a safe fifty yards away from his apartment building he stopped, catching his breath as he ducked down an alley. He still was not fully dressed and didn't want someone to see his half naked ass running around town.

After he caught his breath he dug into his bag and pulled out the rest of his school uniform. He slipped the pants on, tied his tie and threw on his jacket. Despite being completely dressed and ready for school now, the boy still looked pretty disheveled. After all, he was just sexually abused by a sleazy old man.

_Is this how Train felt when I kissed him?_

Creed felt so dirty and used. The entire time the man was attacking him he didn't understand why Izo couldn't take the hint that his advances were unwanted. But, Creed knew he was no better. He could feel Train's uneasiness the whole time he was kissing him but still didn't stop.

_I even tried to go in for a second kiss! I'm surprised he didn't kick me in the crotch…_

Though Creed knew that was impossible at the time. He had pinned Train to the ground and pressed his body against him. Plus, his hero was completely paralyzed by what was going on. How could he fight off the superfluous affection?

Creed then found his body moving on its own, in the way of Train's apartment. Whenever Creed was hurt or upset he always turned to Train, and this time was no different. Even if the boy was not speaking to him currently, that didn't stop the silver teen's need for him.

He arrived at the apartment rather quickly, not bothering to raise his eyes from the ground as he instinctively walked to his love's door. Creed paused at the door for a few seconds, hand raised and ready to knock. An internal debate started in his head on whether or not he should try knocking on his beloved's door again. It wasn't a very long debate as his hand had made the decision for him. A loud knock resided down the hallway, catching a few bums' attentions that were sitting nearby.

Creed waited a few minutes before he knocked again. He could have sworn he heard movement happening in Train's room, but there was still no answer. Again, he waited a few minutes before he sighed, realizing that his Cat was not going to answer the door.

The teen stood there a while long before he moved away from the door. He didn't want to leave, but he knew standing there waiting for Train would not help his situation with the brunette at all. Creed made his way out the building and down another alleyway next to Train's apartment building.

Creed smashed his head against the brick wall that was behind him. He stared into the deep blue sky, noting the hints of grey that faintly gloomed over the sun's golden emissions.

"Looks like rain…" The boy commented to no one in general. He felt another tear fall from his eyes; his body finally recovered enough to sprout tears once more.

Creed lowered his head into his hands and allowed the tears to flow once more. He slid down the wall and to the ground, curling into a ball as his face became stained once more. As Creed's chest heaved in and out ferociously from misery a rumble in his hand shook him slightly from his depression.

The teen's hopes were low as he opened his phone. He was half expecting it to be Kyoko again with another pointless text message when he saw that "1 new message" sign on his screen. Really, did the girl have nothing better to do with her time? Why couldn't Charden control her more?

Despite that, he still opened his phone to check the message. His eyes widen and his heart rose when he saw the name on the phone. It had been three days since the boy had smiled and the gesture hurt his cheeks, but he couldn't help himself.

_He messaged me back! Oh, God, I'm so happy he's at least acknowledging my existence._

Creed was still aware the message could say something along the lines of "leave me alone, I never want to see you again," but it was a risk the silver teen was willing to take. At least that meant Train felt something for him, even if it was hate. The recognition is what really mattered to Creed at this point.

This thumb shook with fear and excitement as he pressed the button to read the message. His eyes were shut as the message opened, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the rejection in case that's what this was. Although, he was still trying to remain hopeful that maybe this was an acceptance message.

After a few minutes of deep breathing, Creed opened his eyes to read the message. His fears were silenced slightly when he read the words. He texted something back to his love, waiting for the reply. It didn't take long showing that the Cat was most likely not doing anything at the moment. He read the next message and felt the weight in his heart lessen.

**Train: I'm fine. We need to talk.**

**Creed: When?**

**Train: Today. After school. The tree.**

The boy read through the series of texts again, double checking that he did not misunderstand anything. His messages were short and to the point, showing that his beloved was still a little uncomfortable which worried Creed, but at least he knew he was going to see his savior today. Creed didn't bother responding; knowing that sending anything back would be a waste of Train's text messages. The silver boy would be there, and he knew Train didn't need a confirmation of that.

A contented sigh escaped his chapped lips as he held the phone against his chest. He stared at the blue sky happily, suddenly forgetting the grey that was threatening this beautiful day.

* * *

Train's golden irises opened as the sun shone brightly into his room. He reached over from his bed and shut his black out curtains, forcing the intruding star's intensity out of his room. The Cat's head fell face first back into his pillow, trying to will his body back to sleep.

This was the start of the third day he hadn't been in school and he knew he wasn't going to go in today. Although he knew he couldn't afford to keep missing school, he really couldn't bring himself in and face Creed. The brunette knew there was no way to avoid his friend if he went there and he really needed time to himself right now.

Over the three days he had received several text messages from Saya, Sven, Eve, Rinslet and even Jenos. He responded to his friends, giving them bullshit answers as to why he wasn't in school. Saya had even called him to try to talk to him, but the Cat really needed to be alone. The last thing he needed was one of Saya's guilt trips about how he didn't have enough time for them.

He groaned as he tried to clear his thoughts. Ever since that day at the library with Creed, Train's head had been completely empty. It was as if in that instant everything that had been weighing him down exploded into the air in different directions. The boy needed time to get them all back in his head before he could face Creed or anyone else.

_I really don't want to avoid everyone… not even Creed… I just… can't think right now…_

Creed had been sending him text messages as well. The first time he saw Creed's name appear on his phone with a message his heart sank. He was worried that it was the beginning of constant messages from the teen and he was going to be forced to talk things out before he had the chance to straighten out his thoughts. It was a relief when he saw his partner only texted him once a day saying he was sorry.

_I think he knows I need my space to figure things out… but, I think I'm starting to get things figured out now…_

Train rolled over so his face was now pointed towards the ceiling. His amber orbs scanned along a crack in the titles, trailing it across to his windows. The Cat sighed again, pulling his thin blankets over his head, really just wanting to go back to sleep and forget about everything again. The only thing he had done in the past few days was go to work and sleep. He had barely even eaten, mostly because his stomach was too sick to eat, but also because Creed had bought him most of the food in his fridge.

The Cat groaned at the thought. Creed had done so much for Train, and until a few days ago he never understood why. There was always this look in his eyes that the brunette interpreted as admiration of a friend or a brother. After that day in the library, everything his friend felt hit Train all at once.

_Love… I can't believe I didn't see it before. It was so obvious!_

That confession of Creed's led to so many questions. What was Creed going to do now that he confessed? Why did Train ignore these feelings for so long? How long has Creed felt this way? Why did Creed feel this way? How strong were his feelings? And the biggest question… How did Train feel about Creed?

Those were the questions that floated through Train's head for the past three days. A part of him was mad at Creed for putting all this on him when he had enough to worry about. Train trusted Creed with so much information about his life and always let him in on all the stresses he endured because he trusted Creed and considered him his best friend. That combined with the boy always worrying about his welfare, Train didn't think he really had much more of a choice but to tell him everything.

As for the questions… Train had been working them out one by one in his head. He had to push everything out of his mind in order to properly take care of this problem. Saya had to take a back seat yet again, school couldn't be further from his mind, and his job ethic was completely nonexistent. Everything had to be set aside to deal with Creed. Train could tell by the text messages that he was having a panic attack. Plus, with everything the boy had done for Train, how could he leave him hanging for so long?

Creed had just declared the strongest feelings a person could have to Train. Though it made Train sick to think about it, he knew it had to be true. That kiss spoke so many emotions. That day when Creed kissed him, Train felt like he was drowning beneath the teen, afraid that he wouldn't get out of it alive. As much as Train wanted to be in denial about everything and make up some excuse about what happened, he knew there were none.

He groaned when he heard his phone go off, praying that it wasn't going to be Creed or one of his friends again. The Cat really needed to be alone for a little while longer before he could face anyone.

However, curiosity got the better of him and he looked at his phone. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Kyoko, but rolled his eyes at what the message held.

_Another forwarding message… Why does she insist on sending me these? She knows I don't have many messages, so why does she have to waste them with this crap?_

He slammed his phone back down and turned his body away from the communication device. It was bad enough that he had so much he needed to work out in his head, why did this girl have to bother him with such pointless dribble? Another sigh was let out as he allowed his thoughts to drift again.

_What am I going to do? Should I just get over myself and talk to him? I'm going to starve myself if I keep going on like this. I'll also fail out of school or even be fired…_

Train hit his head against the headboard of his bed. His stress level was beginning to rise again and he could feel the thoughts he had been able to accumulate slipping from his grasp once more.

_Okay. Focus. One thing at a time. Your boss understands, so don't worry about work. As for school, Creed can—_

His thoughts stopped as he groaned deeply, hitting his head against the headboard again.

_Why did he have to tell me this! Ugh! I can't even think about him without getting stressed out._

Train placed his pillow over his face and screamed into it. Once the scream was done, he bit harshly into the pillow, trying to get all his frustration and stress out on the inanimate object. After a few deep breaths, he calmed down and allowed his thoughts to drift back to Creed.

_Okay, one thing at a time. Job, fine. School, fine. Creed… Concentrate on Creed. You need to get this out of the way if you want things to go back to normal._

Despite everything that had happened, Train did miss his friend. He wanted things to be back to normal and to be able to be friends with Creed without it being awkward. He just didn't know how to act around Creed now after that confession or how they were going to be able to get back to normal.

_I'm also very aware strong feelings such as that can't be ignored. They just… frighten me for whatever reason… Is he going to be like Kyoko now and tackle me whenever he sees me? No… Creed would respect my space. Wouldn't he…?_

One of the biggest problems Train was facing was the fact that a lot of his questions couldn't be answered without talking to Creed. It wasn't like he knew what the boy was thinking. Train was pretty sure how he felt about his friend… even if he knew it would hurt him, but there were no other questions that he could really answer on his own.

_Then why am I avoiding him? Shouldn't I talk to him? What am I afraid of…?_

A knock at his door made the Cat jump slightly. He sat still on his bed for a few moments, waiting to see if the person would walk away or not. Another knock showed that whoever it was did not intend to leave. However, Train did not intend on answering the door, so they were at a stalemate.

After a few more minutes, Train heard the person walking away. The tiny sob coming from the other side of the door let the brunette know who it was. Train frowned deeply and groaned painfully. Creed didn't deserve this. He had never been anything but kind, caring, and loving to him.

_Not only that, he's been a great friend… the **best** friend, actually. He's always there for me even when I don't think I need him. And all I'm doing now is hurting him… I'm being so selfish…_

Train's chest suddenly filled with bricks, his stomach was doing back flips. Train recognized the familiar feeling of guilt rising in his heart once more. Creed had opened up to him about his life. About how his mom treated him and how the men she brought over looked at him as if he were a piece of meat. How he had never had a family, never met his father and never even had a place to call home…

_And all I'm doing is adding more pain to his already painful life… He's probably been sleeping at that apartment every night, dealing with his mother and the trash she brings in… And I'll bet school isn't any better without me there to give him confidence. I was his only support… he told me that, and I just walked away from him… When all he's done is do everything he could to make me happy._

After a long, painful sigh, Train pulled his phone out and decided to text his friend. It still felt awkward to be talking to Creed after his confession, but his guilt wouldn't allow him to push this off any further. He knew now that Creed was crying over this, and Train would be damned if he'd make one of his friends cry.

Train wasn't surprised when Creed responded quickly. The boy had probably been staring at his phone non-stop waiting for Train to say something to him. Again, Train couldn't help the remorse build up when he thought about the torture he was putting his partner through.

When the texts were done, Train shut his phone stared up at the ceiling. It took him a few minutes to realize he was holding his breath. His body felt cold and worried, not sure what was going to come from tonight. It was surprising that he was actually scared of seeing Creed, but he knew they needed to talk… for both their sakes.

After a few minutes, he decided to go back to sleep. There was nothing he could do at the moment and sleeping was the only thing that would keep him sane.

* * *

The sun hung high in the sky, cascading its splendor on the planet below. The waves were particularly generous on a certain tree that contained a certain cat in its branches. Train had decided to climb the tree and hide amongst the leaves, just in case someone like Saya or Sven decided to stop by. Plus, he enjoyed high places.

The brunette stared in the distance at the city, golden eyes thoughtful as he scanned the horizon. His mind was completely blank for once in the past three days, making sure his ears were alert so he could hear if anyone approached. His heart would race with fear when he heard footsteps passing by, but would quickly calm down when he noticed it was no one he knew.

_Calm down, Train. School's just letting out now. He won't be here for at least another ten minutes._

Saying calm down and actually calming down were two completely different things. Train didn't even know how to start the conversation or even if Creed was going to start the conversation. It was hard for the brunette to plan anything let alone planning on how to talk to someone who just confessed their love to you.

_Just take it as it comes. Work on your toes, that's what you do best._

That was the final conclusion the teen had come to before he left his apartment. Things were still not entirely clear in his mind, but he figured at this point the best way to get everything sorted out was to just deal with Creed and let things unfold on their own. He didn't have anything he was going to say or do planned. Chances were Creed had every paragraph, sentence, word, moment and action planned out and rehearsed and Train was just going to follow his instincts and go with the flow. What more could he do?

Another sound thudded below him drawing his eyes to the grass below the tree. His heart dropped when he saw silver hair beaming brightly against the sun. The locks brushed around Creed's face as he turned his head back and forth looking for Train. When the teen let out a sad sigh, Train decided to drop from the tree and reveal himself.

Just as Creed was about to walk away and retreat back to the confines of his depression, Train magically appeared before him. The blue eyed boy's heart skipped a beat when his vision was filled with Train's magnificent figure, his hair and eyes as wistful as they ever were. A smile formed on his lips as he stared at his beloved, feeling as though he hadn't seen his hero in years.

Train stood there and stared at Creed, really unsure of what to say and feeling really uncomfortable with the way his friend was staring at him. He was hoping when Creed saw him for the first time in three days that **he** was going to speak first so Train didn't have to. However, he knew it was stupid thinking Creed would understand Train's point of view and speak on his behalf. The Cat opened his mouth to speak, but found his bullied companion running forward and embracing him.

Creed knew it was a bad idea to hold his love so close after everything that just happened, but he couldn't help it. His body moved on its own as it reached out and took tight hold of his Train. It was as if his body felt that if he ever let go of Train again, he wouldn't see him again. As he held the brunette to his body, arms wrapping securely his back, tears began to slow from his orbs.

"I'm sorry, Train…" Was all he could say and he tensed his hold on his beloved, snuggling his face deep into the teen's shoulders.

Was it a terrible idea? Yes. Creed knew this but at the moment he didn't care. He felt guilty for piling so much on Train and his soul ached to be near him again. The silver boy tried to stop his tears and tried to pull himself away from his savior, but he couldn't. All he could do was stand there under their tree, holding Train as close to his body as he could and cry. He tried to absorb all strength from Train that he could, hoping it would be enough to get him to let go.

Train was stunned when Creed reached out to embrace him. He was too stunned to move or push the boy away and when his friend started to cry he knew he couldn't. It wasn't the first time his shirt had become stained with this boy's tears, but now that he knew his feelings, the situation was a little rough for the Cat.

Despite that, Train still cared about Creed and raised his hand to ruffle his friend's hair. It always seemed to calm the teen down and even though it was half-assed, Train hoped it would do the trick. It did and as Creed calmed down at Train's touch, the golden boy spoke, letting his mouth say whatever it wanted.

"No, Creed… I'm sorry… For leaving you hanging for so long. You go through enough in your life; you shouldn't have to have your feelings tortured by a jerk like me."

Creed's eyes shot towards Train's when he said that, disbelief filling his expression. "What? No! It was my fault. You were under so much stress and telling you something like that didn't help at all." Tears blurred his vision again and he threw his arms around Train's neck. "I'm sorry!"

As the boy continued to cry, Train sighed. He grabbed Creed's wrists lightly, pushing them gently away from his body. It was a hard task, since Creed actually fought him a little.

Train turned away from Creed and sat with his back against the tree. He gestured for his partner to take a seat next to him, which the teen did without hesitation. Placing himself as close as he could to his beloved, he pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them as he gazed at the city with Train.

A few moments of silence passed between them before Train spoke again. "I want you to understand why I ran off like that the other day…"

Creed shook his head and glanced over at his love, nothing but endearment in his eyes. "I understand. You just had a huge rock flung at you and your head exploded. It makes complete sense and I shouldn't have told you then…"

Train blinked at his companion in confusion. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Creed responded with an equal level of confusion is his voice.

"Know what I'm thinking or saying before I even say or think it?" He sighed and turned away from his friend, instead choosing to stare at the clouds. "And there's that look in your eyes again… It makes me uncomfortable... now that I know what it is…"

Creed frowned and forced himself to look away from his love. "I'm sorry… It's not like I can help it… I love you, Train. I love you with all my heart, mind and soul. It hurts when you're not around and it's all I can take to not throw myself at you whenever I see you."

Train cringed a little when Creed said this. "Sorry, it's just, hard to hear that word…"

"What? Love?" Seeing his Cat cringe again, Creed chuckled and gave his love's knee a friendly pat. "I love saying that word. It's probably my favorite word especially when you're name comes anywhere near it. My heart lifts when I think of you and my love for you."

He knew his words made his golden love uncomfortable, but they both knew everything needed to come out now.

"Train… I don't expect you to feel the same way towards me… no matter how much it hurts… In your eyes we've only known each other since the beginning of this year, plus I know you don't have the time to think about these things."

Creed glanced at his hero whose eyes were glued to a certain cloud in the sky, seemingly trying to control himself from running away from these overwhelming feelings. Seeing that Train wasn't about to go running off, he kept going.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." Creed repeated the phrase a million times so Train would get use to hearing it. He also needed to get it out of his system before he would explode.

When he glanced at his Cat again, a small pint of frustration swelled in his stomach which caused his arms to reach out and grab Train by the shoulders so they were facing each other. Train's look was panicked and curious, not sure of what to do or say. He didn't know what Creed was about to do, but was preparing himself for another kiss.

Creed wasn't going to kiss him though. He knew that was way beyond his boundaries at the moment, but he needed to do something so he wouldn't detonate later and do something like that again.

"I love you, Train Heartnet. I love you more than life itself. I need you more than the Earth needs the sun or the moon. More than humans need water, food or air. Hell, you **are** my sun, my moon, my food, air and water. I've ached to be with you every day for the past nine years. Every moment I'm with you is like heaven to me…" He smiled, letting go of Train so the boy could absorb everything he just said. "I love you, Train… and there's nothing anyone can do to change that."

Train stared at Creed for what seemed like hours. He was at a loss for words. Creed's words came from his heart and Train didn't have anything to say back to him. All he could do was stare into his friend's adoring blue eyes which twinkled happily back into his golden ones.

"Why?"

Creed was thrown back by Train's simple answer, especially since it seemed as though his Cat didn't even think before he asked it. Creed never bothered to analyze **why** he loved Train. He just knew he did and that was all he needed, but now that it was being thrown at him he had to answer.

"I've never actually questioned it… I've just always accepted it as an inevitable in my heart." The look on Train's face told him that it wasn't enough. "I mean… what's not to love? Everything about you is so different from anyone else I have ever met… and I love everything about you…"

Train still looked confused and Creed sighed. "Train, love really isn't something that can be explained. There are so many levels to love that it's hard to identify why people fall in love with each other. I love the chemistry between us, I love the way your eyes glow in the moonlight and shine in the sun. I love how big your heart is and how accepting and understanding you are of everything. I love how you can always make me laugh whenever I feel sad and how just thinking about you makes my heart soar. I love how the color of your hair makes me crave a chocolate bar and how it's always unruly as if you never brush it."

Seeing that everything Creed said freaked out his beloved a little, the boy stopped and took a deep breath. "I love you for so many reasons I can't tell you why I love you. Does that make sense?"

It was Train's turn to sigh as his eyes looked away from Creed and to the ground. "I guess it does… I just don't understand because I've never felt that before."

Creed whimpered at Train's words, knowing what they meant. "I know, Train… I wish you did, but I can't change how you feel either…"

Creed didn't know why he hoped against hope that Train would return his feelings of love. He should have spent more time wooing his Cat before he confessed his love. Although, it's not like he planned it. It just… happened…

Train noticed his friend's pain and reached a hand out to pat his shoulder. "I'm sorry… but you can't… I want you to know that I do care about you and I don't want this to ruin our friendship…. Plus, we do have that project to work on."

The side of Creed's face nestled into Train's hand, nuzzling it for a second before he became self conscious and pulled away. As much as it hurt Creed to admit it, he knew Train probably would appreciate him getting all snuggly….

"But… does this mean our friendship has to change? I mean, are you going to turn into Kyoko and tackle me whenever you see me?"

Creed laughed at Train's half joke and smiled reassuringly at his love. "No. I won't do anything that will make you uncomfortable. But, I will ask you one favor…" He eyed his Cat with a pleading look. "Please don't disown me if I forget myself and… do something along those lines… Please?"

Train cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "Disown you? Do I own you?" Creed's eyes were still begging him which caused the golden boy to sigh. "I won't 'disown' you… And I'll try to be as understanding as I can be. As long as it doesn't get out of control and I need to keep a 50 foot distance from you, everything will be fine."

The silver boy giggled and finally broke his stare from Train. "Of course. I'll be good. My intentions are the same as yours… okay, well, maybe not **exactly** the same, but I want the same thing you want right now. For things to be back to the way they were so we can be friends without it being awkward."

"That answers four questions now…"

"Huh?" Creed questioned his beloved, looking at him peculiarly.

Train waved away the confusion and continued. "Well… I have another question… Since you seem to sometimes understand my mind better than I do, could you explain to me how I could have been so oblivious to your feelings? Looking back, it was so obvious."

"You mean my feelings of love?" Creed noticed that Train was avoiding saying the word 'love' and he was determined to make him more comfortable with at least saying the word in regards to Creed.

Train rolled his eyes and leaned against the tree again. "You know what I mean…"

Creed laughed. "If you really want to know why, you'd really have to ask yourself. You're the only one that can tell you how you work… but if you want my opinion… I think you were scared. I think you didn't want my love for you to be true, so you pushed it out of your mind. You didn't want to hurt me and you didn't want to have something else in your life stress you out. Especially if it was an area where you felt there were no complications."

At Train's silence, Creed decided to add a little more. "Or, you could have been that completely oblivious. I mean, you still don't even see how Saya feels."

"What about Saya?"

Creed panicked for a minute before he cut off Train's thoughts. "N-nothing. What I mean is, you saw me as your best friend… your brother and… it was weird and stressful to think that someone you saw that way saw you in a completely different way."

Train groaned and leaned his head into his hands. "Yeah… that makes sense… I'm… sorry, Creed."

"Why are you so sorry, Train? You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"Yes I do… You're life is enough of a wreck, you didn't need your best friend walking away from you. It must have been tough for you these past few days. With how your home life is and how badly they torture you at school I'm surprised you don't hate me now."

Creed grabbed Train's hand reassuringly for a second before he let go and spoke. "I could never hate you… I love you too much to ever feel anything but complete adoration towards you."

Train huffed a laugh and looked at Creed from the corner of his eye. "You're weird…"

Creed looked ahead at the slowly setting sun. The two had been sitting there for a few hours now and it was beginning to get dark. It was fine by Creed though, since he loved gazing at his beloved in the moonlight.

Train, feeling Creed's eyes on him again, articulated another one of his questions out of sheer restlessness. "So…have the past three days been hard for you?"

Blinking, Creed's eyes changed from worship to uncertainty at the sudden change of subject. After he took a few seconds to get over his confusion, he answered his beloved's question. "It's been… tough… Baldor and his gang have acted just as you would think… so no real news there. And home…"

As Creed stopped in mid-sentence, Train poked him in the side. "That Izo guy giving you more problems?"

"I… guess you could say that." At Train's puzzled look he added, "He kissed me."

The golden boy's eyes widened and he gasped, turning to Creed with a startled look. "What? Are you serious? I didn't think he'd go that far."

Creed curled into himself, feeling the man's dirty arms around him again, his tongue slithering into his mouth and tasting his caverns. Train saw his friend recede into himself and put his arm around the troubled teen's shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that… And I'm sorry for not being there for you…"

"I'm sorry I kissed you."

Train blinked at the sudden outburst. He eyed his friend in concern, seeing as the boy curled tighter and tighter into his ball, as if he felt he didn't deserve Train's comforting arm. "Creed… are you comparing the kiss you gave me to the kiss he gave you?"

At Creed's whine, Train sighed, knowing that's exactly what his silver partner was doing. "I'm sure your kiss was nothing like the one you gave me. Your kiss was…"

Creed lifted his head slightly to look at Train, seeing the distress in his eyes as he spoke about that day. "Train… you don't have to relive it…"

Train's hand stopped Creed's words. "Creed, you're kiss was full of so many emotions that it couldn't be a traumatizing moment. I could tell your kiss was real and your feelings were true the entire time… Even though it wasn't exactly… expected… It's not something I'd look back at and feel bad about. I'm sure when that creep kissed you it was filthy and disturbing."

Creed smiled at his beloved and grasped the hand that was on his shoulder lovingly. "Thank you, Train. You don't have to comfort me, but I'm happy you do."

Train pulled his arm back and returned his companion's smile. "It's the least I can do. Just… don't read into it, okay?"

Creed nodded and allowed his body to stretch out much like Train's was. The friends sat there for a moment, enjoying watching the sun set and the company of each other. It seemed as though the uneasiness they started with was starting to ebb away. Things were feeling as though they were back to normal, but Train still had one more question for Creed.

"You mentioned before that you felt this way for nine years…"

Creed smiled, not bothering to look at his beloved's flustered face. "That's right. You don't remember it, but we actually met about nine years ago…" The silver teen watched the amber sun leisurely wane from sight, comparing the divine color to his Cat's eyes. "Baldor and his ass-kissers were picking on me… pretty badly. You stepped in right before I did something I would regret and took me to a sort of 'safe house' where you said you and your friends liked to hang out." He gestured to the cloth wrapped around his wrist. "That's where I got this from."

Train gaped at the old fabric draped around his thin wrist. There were dark red and black stains all over the cloth, the ends torn and shredded from years of use. Train had often wondered why he always carried around something that was clearly old and dirty or at least why he never cleaned it.

Then, he stared at Creed long and hard, trying to remember the day in question. It was in vain until he saw Creed blush. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him. He gasped as he fell back against the tree, laughing at the memory.

"Wow! I remember you now! That was so long ago. I never really thought of that moment again considering how many kids I rescued from those goons. But now I do remember it. I remember being proud that someone was finally going to stand up to them… even if you were going to attack them, I couldn't blame you." Train finished laughing and eyed Creed who seemed beyond happy that Train finally remembered. "But still, does that seem like a bit much?"

Creed looked offended at Train's statement. "I don't see how. It was all I had at the time. You didn't know I existed; my mother didn't care if I existed and everyone in the school avoided me like the plague. It was all I had and I didn't lose my mind. It was my reminder that there were good people out there who could care about me and show me kindness…"

Train scratched the back of his head, a small blush gracing his silky cheeks. "Well… when you put it that way…" He let his hand fall, pulling strands of grass from the ground. "Why did you never approach me?"

It was Creed's turn to blush, grabbing a nearby stick and drawing figures in the ground. It seemed to be what he liked to do whenever he was nervous. "Until high school I was too scared to even be in the same room as you let alone talk to you… I thought you might reject me."

Train rolled his eyes. "Why would I reject you?— Oh, you mean your feelings…" Creed shrugged his shoulders, drawing what looked like a cat into the dirt they were sitting on. The Cat shook his head and laughed lightly as another thought occurred to him. "So, is it just a coincidence that we have the exact same schedule? Because… I'm starting to doubt that. Did you have something to do with that?"

Creed didn't stop drawing his little cat which had a tiny puppy now next to it, trying to jump and play with the kitten. "Maybe…"

Again, Train rolled his eyes, finding Creed's little drawing amusing. "Whatever. I guess it's not important."

Again, a comfortable silence fell between them as the sun was almost completely out of view now. A few stars had begun to flicker as twilight dawned upon them. The two gazed at the stars, Train counted twelve that had appeared in the dark blue sky so far and Creed counted an endless amount that gleamed in his beloved's eyes.

Train felt Creed's eyes on him again and turned. The blue eyed teen quickly turned away, blushing violently as he continued with his almost finished drawing. "Sorry… It's just… your eyes are so amazing…"

Train sighed, propping one knee up so he could rest his elbow on it. "Thanks? I'm not use to compliments like that."

"Well, get use to them, 'cause that's one thing I don't think I can hold back."

The Cat face palmed, "Just… not too much, please? It's embarrassing and I don't want you to humiliate yourself in front of other people."

Creed shrugged. "I'm beyond the point of caring anymore. All I care about now is that we are still friends and everything will be back to normal." The boy chuckled, a thought occurring to him. "Well, almost completely normal."

Train looked at his friend with interest. "Pardon?"

Creed looked back at his friend, not bothering to hold back the affection he felt for the beautiful boy. "Of course things will be normal… but I can't guarantee I won't continue to try and woo you. **You** are my ultimate goal, as much as you hate to admit it."

"Uuugh, Creed come **on**! Don't do this to me…"

Creed shrugged. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I can't help myself. After all, I do have competition."

Train pondered that for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant by that. "Do you mean Kyoko? I may not be interested in any kind of relationship, but I think you'd definitely come before her."

The silver teen's heart beat fast in his chest when he heard that, even though he knew it was a joke. Not that it was a surprise considering how much he hated the girl. "That's… not exactly it, but don't worry about it. I just… want to apologize in advance if I start to come on a little too strong now and then. You hold my heart firmly in your grasp, and I won't be able to rest unless I know I've at least tried to grab yours."

Train continued to just stare vacantly, clearly not entirely understanding his metaphor. "Meaning, don't expect the flowers, praise and love to stop. There's nothing more I want in the world than your love, and you know how stubborn I am."

Train rubbed his eyes in frustration, trying to be calm for the sake of himself and his friend. Finally, he laughed, deciding to make light of the situation instead of putting himself under more pressure. "Well, then let me apologize now if I hurt you unknowingly. I don't think anyone can break into this safe." Train gestured to his heart, a cocky smile on his face.

Creed returned his expression with an equally smug look of his own. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see, won't we? I'm up for a challenge."

Train laughed again, offering his hand to Creed. "Well, then good luck! But, for now, friends?"

Creed looked at his hand, then smiled profoundly into his Cat's luminous golden irises, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms possessively around his beloved and perform what could be considered perverted acts on him. Train saw this and cleared his throat to jar Creed from his thoughts, gesturing to his affable hand.

Still smiling that adoring smile, Creed took the much respected limb. "Friends…"

Creed looked down at the cat and dog he was drawing, the creatures playing together amorously. With another boastful smile, Creed eyed his love secretly. "For now…" He whispered, benefiting from the breathing taking view of their city and his Cat.

There was still one last thing Creed was keeping from Train. He wasn't ready to tell him about the checks he had been slipping under his door. That was Creed's biggest concern at the moment, not Saya. If Train found out about the checks, would he reject him or would he understand?

Whatever it was, the silver teen would find out later. For now, he was going to enjoy his time with his beloved and try to win his heart.


	10. Goodbye

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

** Goodbye **

"OH. MY. GOD. YOU'RE BACK!"

As soon as Train heard the voice he immediately turned and made a run for it. It was his first day back after a few very mentally draining days, and the last thing he thing he wanted was a bone-crushing welcome back tackle from an overly zealous girl.

_Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Back to bed with me, it is!_

Train wasn't sure about coming back to school the day after his chat with Creed, but he knew he couldn't stop his life for very long. His friends were beginning to worry about him and he needed to get back on track with his classes. Plus, he started to run out of lame excuses why he wasn't in school. Yes, he could have just said he was sick again, but after the last time, Saya had made a promise _threat?_ to track him down and force feed him medicine if that happened again.

_And that's scarier than what's about to happen to me now!_

Train frantically looked over his shoulder and saw that Kyoko was actually chasing him!

"What the hell?!" He shouted as he began to run a little faster. _Why is she extra crazy today?!_

Before any unseen forces could answer his question, Train's face collided with a broad chest, flattening him straight on the ground.

The Cat Boy moaned, raising his hand to block the overly enthusiastic sun and squinted up at the offending obstacle. Before he could muster up the correct cursing required for this situation, the brunette was greeted with a friendly hand.

"Train! You're back! Glad to see your legs still work!"

Although Train still couldn't see his face, he instantly recognized that husky voice. Smiling, the teen reached out to grab Sven's helping hand. "Yes, and it's a good thing too, because Kyoko must be off her meds today!"

Just as Sven was about to pull his friend up, a blur of black tackled him back to the ground with a loud thump.

"Silly Neko Neko! Kyoko doesn't need to take medicine!" The hysterical girl squeezed Train's neck so tightly he let out a kitten like yelp.

Sven could do nothing as he stared at the empty space surround his hand that his friend once occupied. He blinked a couple times before turning and staring down at the wrestling duo, Kyoko clearly giving too much unwanted affection.

The olive haired teen chuckled, "Um, Train… I think you got something on your neck."

Train glared at his unhelpful friend, vision now blocked by Kyoko's face. "Ya think?!"

The Golden Boy continued to pry at Kyoko's hands, trying to ignore Sven's amused snickering. It was a lot harder than usual. _It's been three days! Was she lifting boulders just to prepare for my return?!_

"WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR BOYFRIEND?!" Train screamed as she clawed at her intruding limbs.

"Oh, he's gone for a couple days! Kyoko's sad, but then I remembered I can spend more time with my back-up boyfriend, just in case he doesn't come back!"

Train's hands dropped at this statement, realizing the horrors that laid before him. "Oh… dear God… no…"

Sven, no longer laughing after realizing the severity of the situation, looked dumbfounded at the busty girl. "So… you're just going to essentially cheat on him?"

Kyoko glared, "Of course not! Charen-san understands Kyoko has a lot of love to give! He said, 'Just try to be as good as you can be while I'm away.' Charen-san understands I need to keep my options open to cute boys like Neko Neko." She pinched both of Train's cheeks.

Train's face visibly dropped as a pained moan left his throat. "Please… No…"

Just as the teen was about to give up, an unknown force yanked Kyoko roughly by the back of her shirt, lifting her slightly, but forcefully, from the ground and away from Train. Rubbing his cheeks and neck, the Cat Boy glanced up gratefully at his savior, only to see a growling Creed emitting fire from his eyes at the girl. Train chuckled as he started to stand up.

"Thanks, partner!"

For once, Creed didn't seem to recognize Train existed. All his thoughts and emotions resonated fury at Kyoko, making Train worry a bit for the girl's safety.

"Umm… Creed?" Train stammered as his friend hovered threateningly over the terrified girl.

However, Creed did not touch her with violent intentions. He simply knelt down to her level, cupping her chin the most delicate, loving way possible and breathed loudly in her ear, loud enough so anyone within earshot could hear. "I already called dibs. **Back off** , sweetheart."

Creed released his gentle hold of her and stood to face Train. It was amazing how quickly his mood could change when regarding his beloved. One minute he was about to hurl a girl into the sun, the next he was enchanted with Train's golden irises.

The Silver Boy approached his cat, smiling wantonly. "Good morning, Train."

Without consent, Creed wrapped his arms around the brunette's neck smoothly, burrowing his face into his cat's neck. He made sure to make eye contact with the witch still stuttering on the ground, glaring daggers at her.

Kyoko could do nothing by stare and make nonsensical noises. A light bulb seemed to click in her head and a knowing look dawned on her face. "Oh! You two?! Really?!"

Train was just as stunned as Sven and Kyoko were. He thought the agreement he and Creed had was the Silver Boy was going to control himself. _Especially in public! I mean, I know he said he'd_ _ **try**_ _, but couldn't really make the promise… But still!_

Train was about to remove Creed's arms from his neck and push him away when Kyoko stood up and brushed herself off. "Well… It's clear what's going on here…" She glanced between the two boys, a smirk across her lips, and a strange sparkle in her eyes. "It's kinda hot…"

"WHA!? No! It's not what you thi-"

Before Train could finish, he was interrupted by another familiar voice. "Aha! Told you, Sven!"

Train turned his neck to located the blonde girl which was a hard task since Creed seemed to forget the world as he lost himself in the Cat Boy's neck, making movement difficult. He could feel the bullied teen's hold tighten when he turned his neck, as if he thought Train was a balloon that would float away with the smallest movement.

"Eve! Thank God! Stop this madness that is my life!"

The short girl stopped, placed a hand on her hip as she looked the boys over. She beamed approvingly, nodding in confirmation. "No. It's about time."

Train's jaw dropped as he let out a groan. "Princesssss!"

Kyoko began to laugh as the cat whined, clutching at her sides and wiping a tear from her eye. "Stop! Stop! Kyoko can't take anymore!" She sighed, looked Creed and Train up and down before nodding in agreement with Eve, that sparkle still present in her dark eyes. "This will be fun!"

She spun away while blowing Train a kiss. The girl turned her back to the group of friend and skipped off to her own, waving excitedly to a gaggle of girls who seemed to be as interested in what was happening between Creed and Train as Kyoko was.

Train noticed the girls giggling and pointing, making the teen more self conscious of his predicament.

"N-NO!" He stammered while point and shaking his head at Creed. "I-It's not what it looks like! It's-It's... complicated!"

"No, it isn't." Eve butted in as the girls giggled louder at Train who was currently detaching Creed from his neck. "It's been a long time coming. I, for one, am relieved. I can't imagine how Creed feels."

Creed frowned deeply as Train removed his arms. Even though his arms felt empty without his hero's presence, Creed knew he overstepped his boundaries. His beloved gave him a frustrated look and Creed nodded apologetically.

"Sorry, Train… I just couldn't help myself. I lost control when I saw the horrible girl hanging on you. I know you're not mine… But I couldn't stand the thought of her thinking you were hers!"

Train sighed and rubbed his temples. _What time is it? 7:40? This is gonna be a long day…_

"It's… fine, Creed. Just… Yeah… I don't think I need to say anything."

Creed nodded. He knew what his hero was going to say. Neither of them wanted him to say it… To avoid the hurt if would cause.

"Wh… Wha…? The… Uh…"

The trio's' attention turned towards Sven, who had been standing in stunned silence throughout the entire ordeal. Train sigh heavily and placed his hands over his face while Creed blushed elegantly. "Sven… it's a long story…"

"I don't think so. Creed finally confessed how he really felt about you, Train, which is _really_ why you haven't been in school the past couple days. Now, you're trying to repair the friendship you had before all this happened."

Six sets of eyes were now on Eve. The blonde girl tilted her head slightly, confused at the looks she was receiving. "What? Too blunt?"

She walked up to Sven, getting on her tippy toes to flick his ear. "Told you."

"Ow!" Sven exclaimed as he grabbed his ear. "Yeah, yeah, I get it! It's just… weird is all…"

Train ran his fingers through his hair, "You're telling me…"

The cat, finally able to see Sven's face, widened his eyes slightly after realizing something was different about his friend. "Sven! Your eye! I can see it!" The cat pointed accusingly, as if Sven's eye had offended him.

The olive haired teen instinctively reached for his eye patch, which was now gone. "Oh, yeah!" He exclaimed, as happy to change the subject as Train was. "That happened two days ago. It ended up needing to stay on longer than the doctors anticipated, but I'm glad to be finally rid of it. It was itchy."

Sven rubbed his eye subconsciously, as if he was trying to convince himself it was really gone. Eve reached her hand up to Sven's cheek, caressing it imperceptibly while examining his eye.

She smiled warmly, "It's nice finally being able to see that eye. Feels like it's be ages." The younger girl retracted her hand, that smile still honoring her lips. "This one was my favorite."

Sven blushed profusely, his mouth slightly agape as he stared down at the girl. Eve turned towards her other two friends, who were both smiling jovially. "Glad the gang is back together!"

Train nodded in agreement, but then looked around. "Hold up, where's Saya?"

She was the only one missing from their group and Train was looking forward to seeing her. Now that everything was settled with Creed, he needed to talk to her. He hadn't been putting it off. Something else had, quite literally, been thrust into his arms unwittingly.

The Cat Boy did his best to ignore Creed's very obvious jealousy and irritation that was exuding from his every pore. His lovesick friend clenched both his hands into fists, trying to contain the green beast dwelling within.

_Creed… Come on…_

Train's thoughts were interrupted with Eve's answer. "Oh, she's not going to be here today…" Her voice was sad, distant. As if she had just been dealt a low blow.

The cat cocked his head at the tone of voice. He glanced at Sven whose eyes were downcast, shoulders slumped forward like he was carrying weights on his back.

Train looked between the two of them, worry swelling in his chest. "What? What's going on?"

"Train… you know how she's been wanting to talk to you, right?"

He nodded, growing more and more concerned. Creed's demeanor had changed as well. His friend's rage and quelled slightly, being replaced with curiosity and apprehension. The two glanced at each other before looking back at their friends.

"Um… yeah…" Train responded, preparing himself for the worse.

Sven sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes before continuing. "Ugh… She wanted to tell you this herself… But, time is of the essence I guess…"

Train swore his heart stopped. He held his breath and began to sweat.

"Train… Saya's moving… To Argentina… Tomorrow morning… She's…"

"Leaving…" Train finished his sentence for him, voice and eyes distraught.

Creed clutched his chest painfully as he watched his beloved run off. He felt almost as low when Train rejected his initial confession. Seeing the pained look on his hero's face when he heard this news left the Silver Boy with so many emotions: sadness, jealousy, anger… guilt.

For so long, Creed had been making sure to take up all of Train's free time not only because he wanted to be alone with the boy, but to make sure Saya didn't get her hands on him. This whole time, he thought Saya was going to confess her undying love for Train when in reality, she was simply trying to say goodbye.

_I'm such a jerk… They've been friends for so long and all I cared about was myself. All I cared about was making sure Train was mine. And look at what it got me… a broken heart and a lost friend…_

Despite the complication Saya's existence had presented him in his race to Train's heart, she had never done anything wrong to Creed. In fact, she was always so sweet and wonderful towards him. She's the one that invited him over to their table a lunch for the first time, giving Creed more time with his love. She always had his back, making sure he was protected from his bullies whenever Train wasn't around.

_And how do I repay her? With catty remarks and animosity._

Still, Creed couldn't help but take a couple dejected steps in Train's direction. He knew his savior was conflicted with his emotions towards the girl, and this may very well be the thing that pushed him over the edge. This may cause him to lose Train forever.

_To be in love with someone all the way across the world…_

Creeds eyes burned with tears, reaching his hand out towards his beloved. He couldn't imagine Train being in a different class let alone a different country… _My poor cat…_

Eve must have sensed his pain since the petite girl held his hand tenderly, thumb brushing against his fingers kindly.

Creed didn't need to look at the girl to know the look she was giving him. "I'm sorry…"

Creed nodded as Sven approached him as well, gripping his shoulder in a brotherly manner.

"Me too…" Creed responded, wiping the tears from his eyes as he griped Eve's hand back. He knew his friends must be hurting too. It's not every day you lose your best friend.

"I'll… I'll miss her too…"

The thing was… he would…

Train ran as fast as he could. It may have been a long time since he was at Saya's house and his memory may have not been ideal, but that didn't matter. His legs seemed to know exactly where he was going.

The Golden Boy was panting, rubbing the sweat from his eyes every minute, but he didn't care. He needed to get to Saya. Even if she was leaving tomorrow morning, that still gave him one more night to make up for years of neglect. One more night to set things right with his friend. One more night to…

Train shook his head before he could finish his thoughts. His emotions were running wild right now, and he had no idea what was right and what was wrong. All he knew was that he needed to get to Saya… **now.**

He finally made it to the door, banging obnoxiously, panting like a dog on a hot summer day. The teen didn't have to wait long for someone to answer. And it was exactly who he was looking for.

Saya opened the door, wearing a pink and white kimono, the only other thing Train had ever seen her in than her school uniform. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, revealing her face.

Train hadn't seen seen Saya's face fully in what felt like forever. He almost forgot how beautiful she was. Her raven colored bangs shadowed her eyes playfully, matching her outgoing personality perfectly. Her eyes a magnificent teal, strong and confident, yet inquisitive and nurturing at the same time. The snowy white skin was flawless and inviting, but the slight hint of pink hidden in her cheeks gave the impression of innocence.

All Train could do was stare and catch his breath. Which was fine since he didn't know what to say. He ran all the way here and the whole time didn't think of what to say. What could he say? Saya had been his first friend… his longest friend… and now she was leaving…

He had so many things to say, yet nothing to say at the same time. He found himself stumbling over his words, gesturing wildly with his hands towards the school where he had just run from to her house as if trying to tell her he ran all the way here to see her.

The whimsical girl giggled sadly, eyes glistening with unshed, yet grateful tears.

Finally, Train caught his breath and straightened up, his eyes beginning to fill with tears as well.

"You're wearing a Kimono." Train stated matter of factly.

Saya smiled. "Yes, I am."

"You're hair is up."

"Yes, it is."

"You only wear your hair down-"

"When I'm in my uniform-" Saya finished for him.

"Because the uniform makes you feel confined and your hair is a source of freedom…"

"But when I'm in a Kimono, I feel… free…"

"So you pull your hair back…" Train finished for her this time, showing how well he knew her.

"Saya… I-"

Train couldn't finish before Saya embraced him tightly, tears finally falling. Train returned the hug, allowing his tears to fall as well. The two stayed like that for what seemed like hours, crying and embracing one another…

It was a group decision to leave school early. Train hadn't even stepped into the building before he ran off to Saya's house. He didn't think of the consequences for missing school for yet another day. He didn't even think of missing his shift at work. When he got a moment, he stepped aside to let his job know he wouldn't be coming in. They weren't happy, but he didn't care. He hung up and got back to helping Saya pack.

Train was in the middle of loading a particularly heavy boxed he refused to let Saya carry, despite her angry protests, when the rest of his friends showed up, Creed included. That surprised Train since he knew his feelings towards Saya weren't the best. It was pretty conclusive that ever since she interrupted them that day, Creed just wanted to be rid of her.

The brunette smiled and attempted to wave, only to remember how heavy the box he was holding was. "AH! Help! Sven! Assistance is required!" Her twirled to the left, desperately trying to get his balance. "I'm going down! Friends! Help!"

Sven jumped to save the day, grabbing the end of the box Train had left go of. He grunted loudly and buckled his knees. "Oy! Train, this thing is unreasonably heavy! How in the hell were you carrying it on your own?!"

With a heave and a shove, the boys managed to get it in the back of the donation truck. Not everything could go with Saya, so her family had to decide what they weren't going to be bringing. Saya was a minimalist and a very charitable person, so it didn't bother her. In fact, it was her idea to donate almost all her stuff. She was happy to know her old toys and clothes could go to someone in need.

Train wiped his brow. "Really, Sven? Have you **seen** my arms?" The Cat Boy flexed flamboyantly, obviously making a scene on purpose to embarrass his friend.

Sven rolled his eyes and pushed the box in a little farther. To Train's credit, his arms were pretty impressive. He wasn't sure how he got them that way, but Sven often wondered if he owned a weight set at home, or just got lucky.

The teen noticed that as Train was flexing, Creed approached from behind, stopping in his steps as the Golden Boy jokingly flexed. Their silver friend blushed copiously, fanning himself a little as he grasped the side of the truck for support. He watched as Creed's hand went to his heart and breathed deeply, clearly trying to regain control of himself.

The olive haired teen cringed a little, not use to this very new and frankly, shocking news. "Alright muscles, go get another box."

Train saluted and ran off to do as he was told. He was clearly trying to make himself busy so he didn't have to think about Saya leaving. Creed's eyes were closed as he leaned his back against the truck, mumbling something to himself Sven could not make out.

After a couple minutes, Eve walked up him and squeezed his shoulder in a cordial manner. Creed tossed her a reassuring look, trying to show his young friend that he was okay. The petite girl wasn't convinced, but decided to let it go in favor of a smaller box to load. Tears were evident in her eyes, but she knew she needed to be strong.

Sven frowned and approached her, taking the box from her hands and putting it in the truck. He pressed the shocked girl against his chest, lightly caressing her plush, auricomous hair. Although she didn't let all her tears fall, he did feel his shirt get a little damp. He pressed his face against the top of her head, allowing the blonde girl to cry.

Creed watched this from against the truck. On the way over, he decided he was going to be there for his cat, just like he was when he found him at the graveyard. Just like when he was sick. If he ever hoped to win his beloved's heart, he was going to have to put his selfish thoughts aside and be Train's shoulder to cry on.

_Just like Sven is for Eve… Train, my love… You won't be alone when she's gone… I'll be here… Always..._

Now he just needed to make sure Train knew that. _But first… I need to talk to Saya. I need to make things right._

Train stepped out of Saya's house, carrying two boxes at once as if it were nothing. Creed's body was set aflame watching, eyes glazed with greed as he inspected the arms that had distracted him earlier. The blue eyed boy shook his head violently, slapping his cheeks to get him out of his stupor.

_Knock it off! Fantasize later! For now, find Saya._

Saya walked out after Train, laughing at something his cat had clearly done. It was easier to suppress the rage rising in his gut knowing he was going to have Train all to himself soon. The least he could do was let them have this moment.

_I feel guilty thinking that… But I guess I can't put my selfish wants aside completely._

The teen was somehow able to ignore his love's inconceivably sensuous frame along with the enticing groans passing from his voluptuous lips in favor of his female rival. With a wistful groan and a heavy sigh, the teen bit his lip and tugged at the collar of his shirt watching Train effortlessly handle multiple boxes at once.

_Damnit, how did his body get like that?! He doesn't have time to work out, he works too much!_

It then occurred to Creed that he didn't know what Train's job was. It could very well have been something that called for extreme physical labor. That would explain his incredible shape and physical tiredness every day. Creed made a mental note to ask his beloved later what is job exactly was.

Creed approached Saya, managing to turn his back to his hero.

The Silver teen stared at the girl for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. "Saya… Umm…"

Before he could complete his sentence, Train was running back up the steps into Saya's house. The teen had clearly been working hard moving boxes to the truck since Creed could see his love's shirt was unbuttoned more than usual, tie wrapped around his head to keep his hair and sweat from blinding him. Train obviously had a system going that he wasn't going to stop.

_Does he have to walk right past us? God, he's making this harder than it has to be!_

Creed's knees felt weak as he tried to speak to his teal eyed friend, doing his best to ignore his beloved. "Y-You… you have a lot of stuff to move, don't you?"

He chuckled awkwardly in an effort to act casual as Train passed by for a third time, bumping slightly into Creed who had begun to sway a little due to the immense heat flowing through his veins. His cat gripped Creed gently, apologizing as he continued to make his way back into the house.

Saya giggled watching her silver friend swallow hard and try to compose himself. "Well, my parents took an earlier flight yesterday to start getting settled in since my mom needed to start her new job today. They trusted me to get all our donations together on my own."

Creed nodded, loosening his tie to allow some heat to escape. _That explains why she's leaving. Her mom must have gotten a job offer she couldn't refuse._

Saya peeked over her shoulder as she saw Train approaching once more, holding three boxes this time. The girl glanced back at Creed who was very clearly distracted by their feline friend. She smiled dearly and grasped Creed's hand, "Come on, let's talk inside."

Creed nodded hastily, needing to get away from Train's sweating body. The brunette's shirt had begun to cling to his well sculpted chest and Creed knew he wouldn't be able to talk with such a glorious distraction.

Saya pulled Creed into an empty room, the only thing left was a painting hanging from the wall carelessly, as if it felt that life was meaningless without Saya and her family and just couldn't hang on any longer.

The raven haired girl sat on the floor with her legs crossed into a pretzel shape, tapping the floor next to her with a sincere smiled sketched across her face. Creed obeyed the unspoken command and mimicked her position, folding his hands and playing with his shoe laces absentmindedly.

There was a moment of silence between the two, before Creed spoke up. "I told Train I loved him."

More silence passed before his friend chuckled quietly, voice a little sad, yet knowing. "Good."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Creed looked at the girl anxiously, as if waiting for her to explode and kick him out. When he saw none of that happened, he continued, "I'm sorry…"

Saya turned to him fully, confused at his apology. "Why?"

Creed blinked at his friend, not really comprehending the question. "What…?"

She smiled and placed her hand delicately on his shoulder. "Why are you sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?"

Creed opened his mouth and then shut it, trying to find the right words for his friend. "Because… Because I haven't been a good friend to you. I was keeping him from you on purpose because… I thought **you** were going to confess to him, and… I couldn't handle that… I couldn't handle losing Train before I even had him…" He took a deep breath.

He silver boy continued, "I knew how you felt about him and I knew you had more of a chance with him than I ever would or could… So… I made sure you stayed apart and I spent as much time with him as possible. And all this time… all you were trying to do… was say goodbye to a very dear friend…"

Saya watched as her friend let everything out, her hand never leaving his shoulder. When he was finished she couldn't help but let out a little laugh. She ruffled her friend's hair much like his beloved always did and leaned in to get a closer look at him.

"Creed… it's okay." She leaned back into her spot on the floor, smiling cheekily "I… kind of knew how you felt about him, but I think I was trying to ignore it… My feelings for Train are… complicated."

Creed held his breath as the girl continued. It was her time to confess.

"When we were little, about five-years-old, we met at a playground. He was there before me, climbing up on top of the monkey bars while his parents yelled at him to get down. Other kids gathered around to watch, some trying to climb up to join him. However, he eventually got down and apologized to his parents. It looked like he wasn't really sorry though, since he was smirking the whole time as he watched other kids attempt the same feat. He seemed proud of the new trend he had set."

Saya smiled wistfully at the memory, as though if she stopped thinking about it, it would slip away. She looked at Creed and continued. "After his parents let him back onto the playground, I walked right up to him, about to give him a piece of my mind for worrying his parents like that… but then I noticed he was starting to cry…"

" _Oy! Little boy! Why are you crying?"_

_The spiky haired child looked at Saya desperately, then at the sandbox and back at his parents. He jumped into the sandbox and began digging frantically. It became clear that he was looking for something when he abandoned that particular spot and started to dig in the other one._

_Saya looked back at the boy's parents as well, noticing they were busying themselves with her parents. It seemed like they were very involved in whatever conversation they started having. Her attention was brought back to the boy in the box when she heard him whimper a little._

" _Kuro! Kuro, where are you?!"_

_The young girl blinked at her strange boy. "Who's Kuro?"_

_Train finally gave this new girl her attention, looking hurt at her callous tone of voice. "My best friend! My only friend…"_

_Saya's broke a little when she heard that. Poor kid only had one friend? That was sad..._

_She sighed as she watched him dig hopelessly. "Well, I'm going to need a little more to go off of than that if you want my help!"_

_Still staring at her, tears in his golden eyes, he nodded. "It's a black cat. A stuffed black cat. My dad is allergic to real cats, so they got me Kuro to make up for it. I love him!"_

_Back to digging the boy went, throwing sand everywhere, including on the young girl who had just offered her services._

" _Hey! Watch it! You're getting my Kimono dirty!"_

_The boy stopped and looked her up and down, a little embarrassed. "Sorry! Your Kimonos very pretty!"_

_Saya smiled, "Thanks, I know!" She watched him a bit longer then sighed, rolling up her sleeves and jumping in the box with him. The two of them emptied the box in no time, much to the dismay of several children who were looking forward to playing in it. They left when Saya stuck her tongue out at them, running off to tattle to their parents._

_The girl rolled her eyes. "Well, it isn't here. Where else were you on the playground?"_

_The boy pondered that for a minute, "Ummm, let's see... The swings, the slides, the monkey bars, and that maze thing over there."_

_Saya giggled, "That's the whole playground!"_

_The boy nodded confidently. "Yes! I've been busy!"_

_The girl frowned in return, "But, you're not here with anyone else? Just your parents?"_

_He returned her frown, "No! I was here with Kuro! I told you, he's my best friend!"_

_Saya smiled and stood up from the sandbox, brushing herself off. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but that's a little sad. I think you need a new best friend." She offered the child her hand, "I'm Saya."_

_He stared at the hand for a moment before taking it and smiling widely. "I'm Train!"_

_She laughed at his name, "Well, Train, it's nice to meet you! And I choo-choo-choose you to be my new best friend!"_

_It took Train a minute to get her joke, but when he did he laughed the hardest Saya had seen anyone ever laugh in her short life._

_The two ran off together in search of his missing friend, clearly more interested in playing with each other than finding a stuffed cat._

Saya finished her story staring into the ceiling of her empty house, heart heavy with nostalgia. Creed watched her every expression as she told her story. His heart wept for his young love after hearing he had lost his best friend as a child. It wept harder when he heard Train used to have no friends. _Like me…_

"Did you… ever find Kuro?" Creed asked, hoping for a happy ending for his love.

Saya blinked, seeming to forget she was actually telling this story to another person and not just remembering. "Oh, the stuffed cat? No, we never did. But it didn't matter! By the time we left, we were having so much fun together, he almost completely forgot about it." She smiled happily, leaning back on the palms of her hand and stretching her legs out.

"Our parents called us over to take us home. When his parents saw he lost Kuro, they looked as if they were expecting the worse. After all, it was his only friend. They asked if he was okay and where Kuro was and Train responded, 'Oh, that old thing? Nah, I don't care, I have a new best friend!'"

Saya put her hand on her shoulder, as if she could still feel her oldest friend's hand. "After that, we were inseparable. About three years later, we met Sven and Eve and started our group. Train and I were always the closest, though."

It was Creed's turn to smile. "It sounds like in a way… you were **his** hero…"

Saya looked back down at her friend, happy to see he made the connection without her having to spell it out for him. "Yes, in a way, I was. After that, he was able to make friends with ease. I overheard our parents talking one day and found out they were worried about Train making friends. He was a little too strange for kids to ever hang around for too long, so he was having a hard time making friends. Luckily, he ran into someone as weird as me, and we got to be weird together!"

They laughed together, their voices bouncing off the walls of the vacant room which quickly brought them back to the sad reality. They looked at each other and Saya grabbed Creed's hand tenderly.

"Like I said, my relationship with Train is complicated. I love him with all my heart, and yes, there is a part of me that wants to be with him, just like I think there's a part of him that wants to be with me." She smiled knowingly at Creed's cringe. "But… I don't think it would have ever worked out… We're just… **too** similar. We'd never get anything done! You, on the other hand…"

Creed made eye contact with her, blue meeting mischievous teal, "You're somehow able to get him to open up. He actually talks to you. I don't know what's going on in his life, but I know it's something big. We've all been worried about him since his parents passed… but he wouldn't talk to any of us… That's why I'm pretty sure we'd never work together…"

At Creed's confused look, Saya elaborated, "I've known we were gonna move since last year, but I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want them to worry or fuss over me. I didn't want to make them sad. So, I tried to spend as much time with them as possible. With the exception of Train, who never seems to have any time for us…"

Creed squeezed her hand at her sad look, "He does care about you all… more than anything else in the world… More than you know."

Tears began to form in her teal eyes. They were normally so radiant and full of life, but right now they looked tired and sad. It broke Creed's heart, especially after hearing how she had saved his cat's childhood.

"Thank you, Saya. I… needed to hear that… I'm not gonna lie, it hurts… knowing how close you two are and knowing I will never be able to get that close to him, but… I'm happy you told me… and I'm happy to know he's had such an amazing friend looking after him his whole life."

They shared a smile with one another, allowing the silence of the moment to echo volumes. Finally, Saya broke the silence by moving towards Creed and giving him a small kiss on the cheeks.

"Take care of him, Creed. I know we'll never be together now, but it helps knowing he'll have someone like you that loves him so much…" An elegant tear trickled down her pearly cheek.

The silver boy smiled appreciatively and wiped her tear away. "I will, Saya. I promise."

They stayed with Saya all night as one last hurrah before their friend had to leave. She was supposed to spend her last night at her aunt's house, but Train and the others were able to convince her to cancel and spend the last night with them in her house. Her aunt understood and told Saya to call if they needed anything.

In the meantime, Eve called her parents and they brought over blankets and pillows for them. They group knew they'd have to sleep on the floor, but they didn't care. They hadn't had a sleepover since middle school, so they were excited.

However, it was Creed's first sleepover and he wasn't sure what to do. When they explain to him that you didn't **actually** sleep, it took awhile for him to understand. Only when Train told him they'd be spending the whole night together with not interruption just talking and hanging out was Creed excited.

"Wait… the **whole** night?! We get to be together the **whole** night?! No teachers or parents or anyone else interrupting our time together?!"

Everyone laughed at the animated tone in Creed's voice as he gripped tightly to Train's hands, an unrequited dream shining lustrously in his blue eyes. Train hung his head in defeat, trying to pry his hands free of his passionate friend who had begun rubbing his cheek against the cat's fingers.

"Yes… Yes, that's what I mean…" When the Cat Boy felt extra pressure being applied to his hands, he blushed and began to stutter. "N-Not like that, Creed! With our friends! All of our many, many friends!"

Train was still trying to pull himself free from Creed's strong grasp and his friends had completely lost it. Sven and Saya were doubled over in laughter at Train's obvious discomfort and Eve chuckled softly into her delicate hand as she spoke to her parents about ordering pizza for everyone. Her family was pretty well off, so they didn't mind providing everything for their last night together.

The night was amazing. They reminisced about old times, re-living and re-telling stories to one another. It never occurred to Creed how many years the four of them shared. He was a little sad to not have been a part of them, but was really happy to hear everything they had been through together. His favorite stories were the ones about his beloved.

"So, wait, you're telling me Train actually believed you?!" Creed asked excitedly, sitting close enough to his cat so they they were touching slightly. Train didn't really notice, since he was doing his best to hide his face.

"Yes! He marched into our classroom, proud as I had ever seen him, plastic shield and sword and all, in a Roman soldier's outfit!" Saya managed to get out between fists of laughter.

Train looked up at the girl between his fingers, "That was so mean... You actually convinced me that our teacher wanted us to dress up as part of our presentation!"

Saya wiped away tears from laughter pointlessly since more continued flowing down her face. "It was Sven's idea!" She pointed an accusing hand at the olive haired teen who looked extremely proud of himself.

Sven took a confident bite of his pizza and ignored his mortified friend. "Hey, what can I say? I didn't think you'd actually go for it! Man, our sensei's face was **priceless**!"

Sven, Eve and Saya choked on their laughter together, Creed smiling adoringly at his horrified cat. _Why don't_ _ **I**_ _remember this? I would have remember my beloved dressed in such a ridiculous outfit! Must have missed school that day._

Creed caressed his hero's arm lovingly, "I'm sure you looked adorable."

Train grumbled at his friend and retreated his arm defiantly, folding them across his chest as he leaned against the wall and finished his pizza in one bite. "That would be your first thought, wouldn't it?"

The Silver Boy blinked. "Of course it is Train. I love Romans."

The rest of group had finally composed themselves enough to hear that last statement only to lose it again as Train slumped further into the wall, as if he was trying to hide in the solid concrete.

The rest of the night went very similiar to that. Exchanging fun and embarrassing stories, Creed listening eagerly, hanging on their every word like it was a good movie. He didn't know having friends would be so much fun.

Jenos and Rinslet even stopped by. Eve had texted them to let them know this was Saya's last night and they were the first to show up. More pizza was ordered and Jenos finished an entire pie by himself. When he was done, he went down on one knee if front of Saya and took her hand gingerly.

"Oh, Saya… This is a sad day indeed… What will we ever do without your smiling face and bubbly personality around? So many hearts will be broken, so many souls lost…"

The group stared at Jenos in shock, Rinslet especially. They had never seen the pervy boy ever be so sincere and… gentlemanly towards a girl before.

"Wow… Jenos… That was actually… really nice…" Rinslet said, surprise evident in her voice.

"... I was also looking forward to you _developing_ more, as it seems you're a bit of a late bloomer."

The next thing Jenos knew he was flat on the ground, three strong, feminine hand slaps evident on his face. Sven and Train howled with laughter at their friend's misfortune. He pleaded with Rinslet who hovered threatening over his body, screaming curses at him and demanding he apologize to their friend.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He begged, hands clasped tightly around his face. "I didn't mean it that way! I'm sorry!" He peeked at Saya between his fingers, the girl's face a bright scarlet as she folded her arms tightly around her chest. "But… I mean maybe… Just one last squeeze?"

Screaming and slapping continued, Creed covering his eyes between slaps, Train and Sven now using each other and the wall as support so they wouldn't became paralyzed on the floor with laughter.

Rinslet and Jenos left, the poor boy covered in slaps and bruises, Rinslet making it clear she did not care how much "pain" he was in.

"Oh please! You do it on purpose! You like being attacked by women." Rinslet did not face him as she spoke, favoring her other friends in the room instead.

"Okay, well... Maybe...But still! Look at this!" He tried to show her a particularly bright mark on his forearm. "That one's from you!"

Rinslet continued ignoring him, deciding a hug for Saya was a better response than anything she could say to her pervy boyfriend. "Oh, Saya… I'm going to miss you." When they departed from their hug, Rinslet didn't let go. "What **are** we going to do without you?"

Saya smiled and placed her hands on top of Rinslet's, "Well, you'll just have find someone else to dish with about what Sensei Himora is wearing instead of me."

The girls giggled to one another at their inside joke, hugging once more before separating. Saya then turned to Jenos who was still trying to show his wounds off to Rinslet who obviously didn't care.

"And you!" Saya punched him in the shoulder, then pulled him in for a hug. "Take care of her. Or else I'll come back and rip your head off."

Jenos gulped nervously, but returned the hug. "Of course, Saya. And, in all seriousness, I'm gonna miss you." They parted and Jenos pinched her cheeks playfully, "It's going to be awfully dull without you around."

Saya smiled and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "I know."

When they left, Kyoko showed up. She was overly dramatic about Saya leaving, as if she had just been shot in the heart. Most of the time spent with her around was Creed prying her off of Train and arguing at who the cat liked more. After the first couple of minutes, Train managed to find his own private corner, hiding from the two overly attached teens and just waited it out.

Eve frowned and looked at Saya. "Sorry, probably shouldn't have invited her…"

Saya laughed in response. "Seriously, Eve?! This is great! Hey! Train's over here!"

"What the hell, Saya!?" The cat yelled, quickly ducking under a table as Kyoko leaped for him. Creed grabbed her wrist and pulled her away just in time, protecting his cat from harm.

Kyoko and Saya hugged as she left, a tear present in the busty girl's eye as she walked out the door. It was getting late and Creed, Saya and Train noticed how Sven and Eve were falling asleep: Sven's arm was around the petite girl, her exquisite cheek pressed lovingly against his wide chest. The three of them smiled ardently at the duo, happy to see steps finally being taken.

Saya sighed and pulled a blanket over her shoulders. "Well, I'm happy I at least got to see the beginnings of that relationship…"

She rolled to face her two friends, smiling knowingly at Creed who blushed and glanced at Train. The cat let out an ungraceful yawn and collapsed on the floor with a loud thud.

"I'll keep you updated on them while you're gone." He yawned again, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "What time is it?"

Saya laughed, "Does it matter?"

Train shrugged his shoulders and pulled a blanket over his body as well, "Guess not, but I'm beat. So much for the 'not sleeping' portion of the sleepover."

Creed had moved his blanket not so subtly over to Train, laying right next to him, a little too close for the cat's comfort. Train frowned without looking at his friend. "Creed, just… a little more space?"

Creed moved away a couple of inches. He looked at his cat's closed eyes expectedly, asking if that was good enough. It wasn't, but as long as Creed kept his hands to himself, he really didn't care.

"Yes, fine, whatever floats your boat, I guess." The Golden Boy rolled over and turned his back to his silver friend.

Creed sighed longingly in return, reaching his hand out towards Train only to retreat it self-consciously.

Saya smiled fondly, her eyes shutting slowly as she watched her friends drift off to sleep. Her hand, however, **did** reach out to her cat friend, grabbing his hand before he fell asleep. Train opened his eyes at the touch and smiled, giving her soft hand a slight squeeze.

Luckily, Creed was unaware of this contact. Saya didn't want him to be hurt by the gesture, she just wanted to have a moment with her best friend.

The two of them drifted off to sleep holding hands tightly, as if they thought if they didn't let go, they wouldn't be separated the next morning…

The morning came too fast. They all woke up together quietly, knowing what the sun brought with it. Not much was said between them as Saya packed her last bag. Eve's parents picked up their pillows and blankets, giving Saya a big hug before they left. Train noticed a tear escaping Eve's mom's eye as she got in the car and waved goodbye. Saya waved in return, holding herself together as best as she could.

After that, everything else seemed like a blur. They all jumped in to Sven's car, Eve sitting in the front seat and grabbing Sven's hand desperately, like it was the only thing keeping her from crying.

Creed, Train and Saya got in the back seat, the boys letting Saya sit between the two of them. The Golden Boy was surprised at his silver friend. He expected Creed to insist on sitting next to him. He looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye, noting the sadness in his crystal blue orbs.

_Huh… guess they patched things up…_

With that thought, Train sighed and grabbed Saya's hand. The girl gripped his hand in return, but never made eye contact. She reached for Creed's hand as well, who also returned the gesture. That's how the three of them sat for the car ride all the way to the airport. No one said anything. Nothing else could really be said. They had a wonderful night together, but now the time had come for her to leave.

When they got to the airport, everyone exited the car expect Train and Saya, the two of them never let go of one another. Their eyes met for a second before retreating hurriedly. They weren't ready to say goodbye yet, so they left the car together instead, hands still tightly grasped around one another.

They walked to the terminal together, the only sound to be heard were their feet against the tiled floor. Eve grabbed hold on Saya's other hand, Sven trailing close behind the two girls with a hand on her shoulder. The teal eyed girl choked back a tear at the touch as Creed walked behind Train, keeping a close eye on his beloved.

When they reached her terminal, Saya let go of Eve and Train's hand unwillingly, taking a few steps forward before stopping. She turned to face her four best friends in the world, eyes glistening painfully with tears. She wiped them with the back of her hand and smiled that smile all her friends loved so much.

"Well… this is it…" She said, trying to sound brave for her friends.

Eve wept loudly and flung her arms around Saya's neck. Saya allowed the girl to cry into her shoulder, biting back the tears she felt. Her hands ran lovingly through Eve's blonde locks and she pressed her face against the top of her head.

"Eve… Little Princess…" Saya spoke softly, as if to her daughter. "Please, be strong for the boys. You know they'd be lost without you."

Eve looked up at her friend, tears staining her porcelain cheeks, "But… **I'm** going to be lost without **you** …"

Saya laughed and wiped away her friend's tears with her thumb. "No, you won't. You're so strong, beautiful and brilliant. Your life is going to be amazing with or without me… And know that if you ever need me, just give me a call. But… maybe give me a heads up first? TIme difference and all…"

Eve smiled and nodded. She gave her friend one last hug before stepping aside, allowing room for Sven to approach.

Saya smiled and opened her arms at her tall friend, who entered them without hesitation and squeezed her tightly. "Take care of yourself, Saya… I… we're going to miss you a lot…"

The girl nodded boldly and squeezed him tightly. "I will… and you take care of her…" Her head motioned towards Eve who was hugging herself sadly, watching the two of them through glossy, ruby eyes.

Sven grinned sadly, "I will… of course I will… Always."

The olive haired teen stepped aside and over to Eve, wrapping his arms strongly around her as she leaned her face into his shoulder. Saya turned to Creed next, hands behind her back with a sheepish smile across her lips.

"As for you… Be brave at school… Be kind to yourself and most of all…" She glanced at Train who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, not really listening to anything that was being said. "Take care of him…"

Creed nodded and embraced her. There was not much more he needed to say to her that he didn't say the night before. Despite everything that had happened between them, despite the jealousy and the anger he felt towards the girl, he knew how he felt about her now. He knew that no matter what had happened with them, he knew this one fact: "I'm gonna miss you…"

Saya smiled through tears and accepted his embrace. "I'll miss you too, Silver Dollar…"

They stayed like that for a couple minutes before departing from one another. Saya patted her friend on the shoulder before turning to Train. Her feline friend seemed distracted with the plane's arrival time. His bright golden orbs scanned the signed fiercely, as if he was trying to change the clock with his sheer force of will.

Saya snapped him out of his dream world by literally snapping her fingers in his face. The cat blinked and stared down at her, the same desperate look painted on his face. They stared at each other for awhile. Train was about to speak before Saya interrupted him.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I have something for you!"

She reached into her bag, ignoring her friend's gaping mouth and pleading look. She dug until she made a triumphant sound, producing a small stuff black cat. Saya placed the tiny critter in Train's befuddled hands, the cat unable to speak at the gift.

Train stared at the black cat, vision blinded with tears. When he looked up, Saya's face was inches from his, the same tears reflecting in her own eyes. His friend smiled and shut her eyes, gently placing her lips lightly against Train's.

The teen wasn't sure how to react at first. The kiss wasn't nearly as passionate as Creed's had been, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Train found himself returning the kiss, dropping one hand holding the cat to side, while his other delicately caressed Saya's cheek.

The kiss was brief, but spoke so many volumes. During that moment, Train saw a slide show of their friendship pass through his mind. He felt the tears falling frantically from his eyes, unable and unwilling to stop them. He wrapped his other hand gentle around her waist, pulling her a little closer, their lips remaining locked.

When they pulled away, they stared at each other for a few more painful minutes, Train's hand never leaving her cheek. Before the boy could say anything Saya turned and walked away briskly, wiping away a river of tears that was flowing down her face.

Train could do nothing by stand there and watch her leave. He gripped the cat tightly and shook the tears from his eyes. He ran after the girl, who was now at the security gate. "Saya! Wait!"

She stopped just before entering her first security check, not turning to face her oldest friend. It was too painful to look at him. Train stopped just behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her delicate waist. He buried his tear soaked face into her shoulder and squeezed tight.

"Goodbye…" He said, not removing his face from her body.

Saya whimpered loudly and nuzzled her face against his head, "Goodbye…"

With that Train released her and she stepped through the gate, giving her cat friend one last despondent look before disappearing into the sea of people surrounding airport security.

Train remained motionless, staring at where Saya once was for hours, gripping his new Kuro tightly, tears flowing down his face, burning his cheeks intensively.

"Goodbye…" He said one more time to space that once occupied his oldest friend.


	11. Confience

Disclaimer: I don't own Black Cat or any of its characters.

* * *

**Confidence**

Train lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. He could faintly hear his alarm going off in the background, the sound signaling that his despondent ceiling staring time had ended. The brunette groaned impatiently, as if his listlessness was the alarm's fault. His amber eyes glared accusingly at the gadget, then launched his pillow at it.

"I heard you the first time!" He shouted this as if the alarm would regret doing its job. It fell to the floor, metal and plastic echoing inertly against the stark walls.

Instead of moving from the bed, he pulled his cheeks downward and grumbled to himself, trying to unsuccessfully convince his body to move. The most he could muster was a roll over in the direction the alarm fell and a stare absentmindedly at the general location, not actually being able to find the abhorrent time keeper.

_Alright, step one: End the alarm's life, step two: roll over. What's step three…?_

A gentle knock at the door evoked another disgruntled sound to escape his lips. Train knew only one person who could find a way to knock so lovingly at what was essentially a large piece of hardwood.

_Oh, right… Explain to Creed I'm fine and coming to school..._

Ever since Saya left, Creed had taken it upon himself to walk to school with Train every day. While the cat boy appreciated the gesture, he was starting to feel like it was a bit much.

_I mean, I enjoy the company. But knowing there will always be some hidden intent with Creed makes the gesture seem a bit insincere._

Train didn't bother to question how wrong his thoughts were. Instead, he squinted at the door to see if it was locked. Normally, he locked it every night, but the last couple weeks he didn't bother since he knew Creed would be over in the morning to check on him and Train wouldn't want to get up.

He sighed in relief to see he had not. An ironic sigh, considering the neighborhood he lived in most likely warranted several locks on his door. Right now, the Cat didn't care. He was just happy he'd be permitted to remain in the refuge of his bed.

Pulling the covers over his head so Creed wouldn't fuss when he saw him, Train spoke in a hoarse, but loud voice, "It's open!"

A small bit of light from the hallway was permitted into the mostly dark room. This light was blocked only slightly by the thin figure that entered tentatively. Piercing blue eyes scanned the room briefly, taking everything in to make sure his love wasn't living in complete squalor. Creed let his breath go when he saw the apartment was in order.

_Well… as in order as Train can get it…_

The Silver Dollar looked at the bed that currently held his Cat. Rolling his eyes and stepping fully into the room, Creed put his hands on his hips.

"Train, It's 7:45! You should be on campus already!"

Creed's pale skin was greeted with a pillow, faltering Creed's thoughts only momentarily. The teen repaid his beloved's gesture in the same manner: By returning the fluffy object to its owner.

Train yelped dramatically as the pillow made contact with his back and ripped the covers off. He glared at his friend bodly, as if he didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

"How… Dare you." Train attempted to sound hurt, but his playful side couldn't be hidden.

Creed smiled wittingly, "Oh, I dare. Especially when my partner is going to make me late to an extremely important project update!"

Their first class was the only in which they had been assigned a project together which had monthly check-ins. This check-in was of the most importance since it was the halfway point. They needed to be on time and prepared. Train had told Creed they were going to meet before class to go over what they had so far. As much as Creed wanted to believe his love, he knew how his mood had been lately and had understandable doubts.

_It's been two weeks since Saya's move…_

Creed frowned deeply at that thought. He missed the girl, but he could tell his sadness was nothing compared to Train's. His Cat had been trying to hopelessly hide his depression, but Creed could see it clear as day.

_As hard as he tries he just isn't his full, happy-go-lucky self. I can't count how many times he stares at where Saya sat at lunch. And I know he's been carrying Kuro in his backpack every day._

That thought broke Creed's heart, but he understood the gesture. It was Saya's way of returning Train's original best friend. But, moreso it was a way for Train to know she would always be with him.

The silver boy whimpered painfully when he saw Train checking his phone. His hero had been on it almost non-stop since Saya's departure. Despite his lack of phone data, Train was always messaging the girl. He even went as far to request less texts from everyone else, much to Creed's dismay.

" _Creed… You need to understand where I'm coming from…" Train said pleadingly to his best friend._

_Creed did his best to give his love an empathetic smile, "I-I know, Train… I understand. I'll… back off a bit…"_

_Train messed with his silver locks, learning quickly that was the best way to comfort his friend when he was distraught._

Creed shook the memory from his head and brought himself back to the present. With another wistful look at his love, the blue eyed teen approached as casually as he could, hoping that would cover the hurt he was feeling.

When Creed approached, Train quickly snapped his phone shut, hoping his partner hadn't seen he was texting Saya. He was on an off schedule with the girl because of the time change, so he tried to get back to her as soon as he could. Still, he was able to hear from her every day since she left. However, he knew how much it hurt Creed every time he saw "his cat" texting the girl, so he tried to hide it to spare his friend's feelings.

"I'm good, Creed. Let's go!"

Train stood abruptly, allowing the blankets to fall from his body. The golden boy did his best to ignore Creed's lustful stare. He had started to make sure to sleep fully clothed so he wouldn't be a distraction to the Silver Dollar whenever he came to check on him. _Which has been more often since Saya left._

He still felt a pang in his chest every time he thought about it. It was still weird showing up to school every day and not having Saya greet him over enthusiastically. His other friends did their best to welcome him to school dramatically, but it just wasn't the same.

Train dug under his bed and pulled out his tie and jacket. Slipping them on insipidly, the Cat nodded at his partner and gestured to the door, "After you!"

Creed frowned as he looked his friend up and down. His jacket was wrinkled and dirty, tie fraying at the end, and his hair more disheveled than usual.

"Train… seriously…?"

His Cat gave him an innocent look which caused a giggle to escape Creed's lips, "What?"

With an exasperated sigh, Creed forcefully removed the outerwear from his friend. Train gasped and covered himself with his arms as if the other boy had stripped him completely. As much as Creed wanted to, he was trying to learn his beloved's boundaries better.

Turning on his heels, Creed grabbed an iron from his backpack, plugged it in and began ironing Trains clothes. Train could only gape abashedly at his friend. Glancing between the iron and Creed's backpack.

"Creed!? What?! Who?! How?! Where?!"

Creed chuckled, "You forgot when." He was focusing intently at a certain wrinkle that he had taken personal offense to. "I can't allow you to keep going to school looking like such a mess. Teachers are starting to notice and you know if they notice you could become under scrutiny from authorities. And we've been over what that could lead to…"

Train didn't need Creed to finish his sentence. He just sighed in response and sat on his bed. "Alright… Fine, you're right. But as you said, we're running late. So, make it snappy!" The brunette snapped his finger to emphasize the point.

Creed tossed his beloved a playful look, "Oh, **now** you care?" The silver boy giggled again as his love rolled his eyes and collapsed on his bed.

"Why does everything you say sound like you're flirting?"

The Silver Dollar winked at his hero and stepped away from the newly ironed clothes. "Because I am."

Train's face released a frustrated blush and opened his mouth to rebuttal, but was interrupted as his friend stood him up and delicately slipped his jacket back on. Creed frowned at the old tie sitting next to the iron and walked to his backpack again. The silver boy produced a new tie and wrapped the tie lightly against his neck, knowing his Cat didn't like it tight. Breathing out triumphantly, the teen gently tapped his friend's check, which was returned with an agitated sigh.

Creed had become more confident lately. While he was learning Train's boundaries, he was also learning what seemed to crack the code to Train's heart. His love was a very confident person and after seeing Train had an attraction to Saya who was also very confident, Creed decided that was the route he was going to take.

It worked to some degree. Train was less freaked out by Creed's emotions. In fact, he had accepted them as completely typical in their relationship and had learned how to deal with them in his own way. By not making a big deal out of Creed's remarks and advances, their friendship had returned to normal and Creed was able to allow his feelings to release every so often in an innocent manner.

_It's such a relief knowing I can show my love to him without fear of him running away. I know I still need to control myself and I'm not doing nearly as much as I would like, but it's better than what it was before. I don't feel completely like I'm going to explode all the time._

With Creed's dressing of Train complete, he pulled out a brush and sat Train back down. His Cat's eyes widened at the object, as if it was a weapon about to be used against him.

Train tried to stand, "NO, NO, NO! I **hate** brushing my hair!"

Creed forced his friend back down and situated himself behind Train on his bed, kneeling and leaning slightly against his partner's back.

"I know, Train, but your hair is a bit much right now, even for me. I love your unruly hair, but this is just unacceptable. I can't even see your face!"

Train folded his arms and rolled his eyes, a gesture that was getting real old when it came to Creed. "Oh, what a **shame** that would be…"

"Yes. Yes it would be." Creed didn't need to see Train to know that cute, frustrated shade of red was back on his love's elegant cheeks.

Creed took this moment to fully allow his version to be engulfed by Train. Even with the full school uniform on, Creed knew what was underneath and swallowed dryly, feeling his pulse quicken slightly. Despite his physical reaction, he was able to get out a question he'd been meaning to ask.

"So… Train… I've been meaning to ask you."

Train didn't respond verbally. A wave of his hand insinuated for Creed to continue.

"What… exactly **is** your job?"

His beloved glanced at him curiously from the corner of his eye, "Why is it important?"

Creed's face reddened noticeably. Despite his newly found confidence, occasionally his shyness still got the best of him. _Especially when my question is essentially asking, "Why are you so hot?"_

He swallowed again and straightened himself a little more, trying to hide his apprehensiveness with courage. "Well… I mean… Is it something **physical**? It's just… I know you don't go to the gym and I see no equipment here, so…"

There was a short pause between Creed's brushing that was broken by Train's laughter. He threw his head back slightly, making Creed stop his motions while his beloved had his moment of joy.

"You **would** notice that!" Train slowed his breath as he talked, calming his body down enough to allow Creed to keep brushing. "Well, I've had a few jobs. They've all been contracted positions, which is why my hours are always changing."

The feline began counting with his fingers as he listed his previous employment. "So, there was a lifeguard position that required lots of swimming for training and the job, so that was very physical. I've also done some roofing, construction work, lumber yard… Currently, I'm waiting tables and doing landscaping. All of which have required a lot of physical labor." He winced a bit as Creed worked out a knot in his hair. "I do also think there is a level of genetics involved. My dad was in really good despite his age. So, I think I also just got a bit lucky."

Train smiled as he flexed his muscles a bit. He was always pretty proud of what good shape he was in. Even if he wasn't part of a gym, it was nice **something** in his life came easy. With how many kicks he had taken from the world, it was comforting to know he didn't have to worry about his health as well.

Another roll of amber eyes as he heard his friend whimper longingly at the motion. "I also worked for a moving company for awhile. There were a lot of stairs and heavy boxes involved. Man, I always came home **exhausted** after that!"

Train laughed for a little before a recent memory came to surface. He stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling a wrench twisting in his gut. He felt his whole disposition darkening, barely feeling Creed tugging at his chocolate locks.

Creed also stopped when he noticed the change in his beloved's mood. The silver boy's heart ached for his Train, knowing exactly what he was thinking about.

_That day was hard for all of us… Especially Train…_

Azule eyes fell to the floor, his feminine hand landing to his side, no longer brushing his Cat's hair. It was a hard day for Creed for more than just losing a friend. He replayed that kiss over and over in his head. It was eerily similar to the nightmare he had shortly after he confessed to Train.

Creed slapped himself quietly so Train wouldn't hear.

_Stop that! You know it was nothing like that! It was a kiss goodbye. A kiss of what never was and what would never be. No one was laughing at you and it was nothing more than a kiss._

While he knew that was true, it was hard to not think of it without agony in his heart. Looking down at his beloved, he smiled longingly.

_You're here for Train… Never forget that. No matter what you're feeling, it's nothing compared to what he's going through._

Creed put the brush down and sat himself on the floor in front of his love. With nothing but love in his heart, Creed reached out to his hero, taking a gentle, soothing hold on his hands. Placing Train's hands between his own, Creed caressed the velvety skin. The blue eyed teen moved his face so Train could see the adoration in his eyes, trying to be the light in his love's darkness.

"Train… It's okay… You know she'll always be with you. And, in the meantime, you'll never be alone."

Seeing his love had no reaction, Creed removed one of his hands and placed it gracefully on Train's supple, warm chin. He lifted his face until their eyes met, trying to show all the love and care he could through his blue orbs.

"You have Eve, Sven… Even Jenos and Rinslet. And…" Creed took his hand away and placed it back on Train's hand, "You have me. And you **know** I'm not going **anywhere**."

Creed saw Train beginning to return. The Silver Dollar sighed in satisfaction, starting to see his beloved come back from the darkness.

Train was definitely fighting depression. Try as he might to hide it, it was there. And Creed would be damned if he'd lose the love of his life to something he knew all too well.

Creed brushed a tear from Train's cheek, the cat jumping slightly at the gesture, not knowing it had been shed.

A beeping emitted from Creed's pocket, alerting the pair to reality. Creed growled at the interruption as Train pulled his hands away and wiped his own tears. "Who's that?" The cat asked while clearing his throat.

Angrily, Creed pulled his phone from his pocket and glared at the screen. Aluze eyes widened and he stood up suddenly.

"It's 8:10! We are sooooooo late!"

In one motion, Creed grabbed his backpack and his partner. Train was barely able to grab his own materials before he was dragged out of the room, down the hallway, and to their campus.

The Cat Boy couldn't help but laugh. Their roles were certainly reversed right now. Train didn't think he had ever been dragged to class by his friend before. Usually he was the one doing the dragging.

Train wiped a few more tears from his eyes, taking in deep, haggard breaths as he continued to calm himself down from the break down. He smiled at his partner gratefully.

_I have to admit, it's been a lot easier with Creed's comfort. While everyone else has been doing their best, Creed is_ _ **always**_ _there when I need him… even if I feel like I don't._

With that in mind, Train pulled his arm from his friend's grasp, knowing the movement would upset the boy, but wanting to run on his own now.

"I'm faster than you, remember? Unless you want to race?"

Creed's panicked look was all he needed to know the answer was no. Smiling cheekily, the golden boy grabbed Creed's hand, inwardly rolling his eyes at his friend's gleeful look and began to run faster.

"I'll take the lead. We'll get there faster that way."

* * *

By the time the duo arrived at the school, everyone was already at their first class. Train didn't exactly live very close to the school, but he also didn't live so far it was impossible to walk there. Train did it every day. Sometimes he ran since he was often late, but he's never run the entire way while toting another human being.

When they got there they didn't hesitate; they immediately entered the building and slammed the door into their first class. Well, Train slammed the door. Creed's face was beat red with shaking limbs doing their best not to collapse. He was not in nearly as fast a Train was, so being dragged by the other teen was quite the workout.

Tanaka raised an eyebrow at the boys, doing her best to repress her smile. She needed to be serious right now.

Never standing from her desk, she leaned forward on her folded hands, gleaming at the boys with a mixture amusement and weariness, "You boys know you're late, correct?"

They nodded, still out of breath.

"And you are aware of how important this class is for your final project, correct?"

Same gesture from both teens.

Tanaka sighed and pointed to their seats. "Sit. You are up soon."

Creed bowed deeply to their teacher, sweat still pouring down his face. Train gave her a two finger salute, catching his breath much sooner than his counterpart.

As they sat down, the trio of bullies started snickering, Baldor in particular looking very pleased with the situation. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Tanaka turned her attention to the large boy.

"Not a word, Baldor-Kun. Do I need to have another conversation with your parents? Not to mention the coach?"

That shut the moose and his lackeys up real quick. Tanaka had been on his case more and more recently. The last few encounters he's had with other students and the administration's lack of action gave her little choice. Luckily, the coach always had a thing for her, so he believed her over the boy. As unprofessional as it may have been to use her charm to her advantage, she wanted every student in this school to be safe, so she wasn't afraid to use it.

Creed nodded gratefully at Tanaka who returned the gesture. Train winked at Baldor, making a heart shape with his hands as he passed by. Baldor simply growled and resumed his quiet, "polite" stature.

They sat down and were able to quickly get themselves together before it was their turn. All they had to do was present what they had gathered so far and show their teacher. The project was a "choose your own presentation" that needed to be approved by the teacher, with monthly check-ins on their progress.

Tanaka smiled at the boy, folding her hands and placing them on top of the rubric she had created for them.

"You boys have done a great job! I'm impressed with the level of work you've put into this assignment. It sounds like you've not only learned a lot, but picked a topic that interests you both."

The young woman leaned back in her chair, smiling at both teens and glancing happily between the two of them. She turned her gaze to Train, smile warming even more. "I'm especially proud of you. I've watched you grow into such an intelligent young man. Looks like all you needed was a little push in the proper directions."

With that, she peeked quickly at Creed who blushed wildly and looked away. Tanaka could still see the smile painted on his face.

Train gave a triumphant grin, straightening his back and pounding his chest proudly. "I always knew I had it in me! But I wouldn't have made it this far without my partner."

Train elbowed Creed lightheartedly, which caused the smile on his pale lips to widen and the blush to deepen.

Tanaka chuckled at the interaction and stood from her seat. "Well, you make a great team." She gestured for them to return to their seats. "Now, if you would please return to your seats, I've other students to attend to."

The boy returned to their seats, both beaming happily, but for different reasons. When they sat down, Train went to high five Creed. The silver teen gleefully accepted and returned the gesture, deliriously happy at any contact from his love.

Creed watched as his beloved turned back to his studies, impressed that he didn't need Creed to remind him that just because they got a positive review from their teacher didn't mean they could take a break. Due to recent events, they had fallen behind and needed to work harder then ever.

Noticing Train was too distracted with his studies, Creed decided to take this moment to admire his love. Leaning his polished hand on his creamy cheek, he allowed himself to stare at his hero. He held in his dreamy sigh in order to not get Train's attention which would only make things awkward.

_He really has improved his studies. It's even better knowing I was the one who got him there!_

Train had always worried he wouldn't make it through high school. Although he really had no drive to go to college like Creed, he did want to make it through high school. And with Creed's help, that seemed completely possible.

_He doesn't have to go to college to be successful. He can find another career that doesn't require a degree. And I think he'll be happier with that. Studying isn't his thing, but he likes working with his hands._

Creed's hand was beginning to fall asleep, so he took that as a sign to get to work as well. He regretfully turned away from his love and started taking notes of his own. Suddenly, he stopped as a horrible thought occurred to him.

_What if Train starts to do so well he doesn't need me anymore?! What if he decides my presence is no longer needed and he tosses me aside like everyone else has?!_

Creed worriedly eyed his beloved from his peripheral, face losing color at the thought. Before he could spiral he shook his head violently, hitting himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand.

_No! Stop it! Don't go down that rabbit hole! Everything is going great with Train. He accepted you back after that pathetic display of love and he still continues to tolerate your futile advances. Stop reading into everything. Be optimistic, like him._

Taking in a deep, calming breath Creed turned to his savior once more, allowing the happiness he felt to wash over him like a fresh rain on a hot summers' day. Another thing he learned Train enjoyed was optimism. After all, Saya was incredibly optimistic and Train willingly kissed her.

Creed kept jealous thoughts aside with that thought as well. _Train also hates when I show jealousy. Well, unless it's to get that annoying Kyoko off of him. But I need to stop my jealous tendencies as well if I want to make him mine._

With that, the Silver Dollar felt a renewed confidence swell in his chest. Sitting up a little taller and grinning wickedly at Train, Creed chuckled to himself.

_And when that happens, my love won't even know what hit him._


	12. Not Alone

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters.

* * *

**Not Alone**

"Train… Please…?"

Creed was currently holding a fork full of broccoli out to his beloved who scowled in disgust at the green substance. Seeing that didn't work, Train turned his body away from the green menace, folding his arms in the process.

"I've gotten this far in life without these tiny trees in my stomach, why should I start now?"

Creed pouted again, giving his cat the best puppy dog look he could. It was ineffective since Train refused to even look at him. The silver teen sighed in annoyance and lowered the utensil, "Train, really? Are you really **this** childish? You **need** to eat vegetables! There's no way you can go through the rest of your life in as good of shape as you are now if you refuse to eat anything green!"

Train peeked at him from the corner of his eye, still not turning to face his partner. "If I'm meant to **die** early because I refuse to eat a tree, then I'll welcome death with open arms!"

Creed set the fork down and slightly bagged his head on the table. "You're impossible…"

"It took you that long to figure that out, Silver Dollar?"

Creed didn't bother lifting his head at the voice, recognizing it to be his olive haired friend. Instead, he offered the fork to Sven, "Do you want to try?"

Sven chuckled as he sat down, "Why? Train's a grown boy. He can make his own decisions. Even if they'll eventually lead to his demise."

Train turned his disgust to Sven, "I feel like you guys are making a bigger deal of this than it needs to be. I won't die if I don't eat broccoli."

"While that may be true, the long term effects of a poor diet are all too real."

The trio turned their attention to the new voice which belonged to their Little Princess. Eve took a seat next so Sven, who gave her a delicate kiss on the cheek. Eve smiled politely at the teen, setting her books down next to her as she took a bite of her salad.

Creed smiled at their small exchange of affection. Almost immediately after Saya left, the two finally made it official. They were able to bond even more over the sadness of losing their friend, which helped push them along. Train made sure to call their teal eyed friend right away to let her know.

_Her screams over the phone could be heard from blocks down. When she spoke to the new couple, her voice was both happy and enraged. Saya was ecstatic they finally put a title on it, but enraged it took her moving for it to happen._

_"Are you kidding me?! I would have left a **lot** sooner if I knew it would push you two together!"_

_Sven and Eve rolled their eyes, Saya feeling the gesture over the phone. "Don't roll your eyes, you know what I mean! You just **had** to wait until I was gone, didn't you?!"_

_Sven laughed at his friend, "Well, we couldn't have you gushing all over us every day asking when the wedding was, could we?"_

_"...Well, when **is** the wedding?! I'll be sure to come back for that!"_

_Eve blushed and took the phone from Sven, "Saya, calm down. Thank you for your blessings, but I really want to know how you're doing."_

_With that, the blonde beauty walked away, Train's phone in hand._

_Train panicked and ran after them, "H-hey! Little Princess, come back! Call Saya on your own phone! Stop using my minutes!"_

A content smile graced Creed's lips at the memory. It was so nice to be able to reminiscence about so many wonderful things. _This one wasn't even centered around Train._

It was for Creed's happy memories to be about someone other than his hero, and this was one of them. It was such an incredible feeling to know he had other people who cared in his life. Having a support system really helped the unstable boy's demeanor.

His beloved's huff brought his attention back to the present. Train had turned his body to Eve and pointed accusingly at her. "Prove it! Show me the evidence that my doom will come from not eating broccoli!"

The Little Princess rolled her eyes and elegantly placed a forkful of salad in her mouth. There was a pause while she chewed, refusing to speak with her mouth full. After a gentle swallow, she decided to answer her childish friend. "While broccoli won't be the technical reason for your downfall, the lack of nutrients vegetables supply could."

Train huffed again, "Proof. Where's the proof?!" The cat boy slammed his fist on the table, "I demand the proof!"

Eve pulled out her phone and with a quick search she was able to pull up several science based articles about the importance of diet at a young age. Train sulked at the pages worth of articles, pushing the petite girl's hand away from him.

"Bah! Malarkey!"

Sven choked on his food as he tried to laugh, "Malarkey? So now you're 60?"

Train tossed his green friend a sarcastic smile and shoved his burger in his face. He pointed to the meal sternly and spoke between bites. "Meat. Protein. That's what I need. And look!" He lifted the bun and made a voila gesture, "There's lettuce. See? I get plenty of vegetables!"

He took another defiant bite when he saw Eve glower. Creed frowned again and picked the fork back up. "Train, that's not enough and you know it. Come on, just one bite!"

"No!" Train said like a child pushing the fork away from his face.

Another agitated exhale emitted from Creed's mouth. "This is ridiculous." He put the fork back down and began to eat his neglected tray of food.

Happy to see his friend had given up, Train turned around to enjoy his meal. With another triumphant bite, he decided his war with broccoli was not over. "Anyway, why are we eating tiny trees? Don't we need them for the environment? Trees are for climbing and oxygen, not for eating!"

While his love spoke, Creed had been eyeing him carefully, like a predator waiting to jump. When the Cat had let his guard down and finished his meal, Creed quickly grabbed the fork and shoved it into his mouth.

Train was just about to finish his trash talk about broccoli when the said culprit had been forcefully thrust into his gaping hole. The golden boy coughed and sputtered, acting as though he was just poisoned.

He went to spit it out when Creed pounced again, clasping his hand over her beloved's face to make sure he swallowed. Train did so begrudgingly and glared daggers at his friend.

"Oh, God I can feel it going down my throat!" The teen clawed at his throat desperately, gagging as he did so. "Ugh! Is it too late to throw up?!"

The silver teen smirked triumphantly and took another bite of his lunch. "Just accept it, Train. It's for your own good."

Golden eyes stared sadly at Creed, who had to contain the urge to press his savior against his chest and apologize. He turned away a little, trying to avoid his cat's gaze.

"How… Could you do that to me?" Train's voice was dismal. He deepened his puppy dog look, eyes wide and innocent as he moped at his friend.

Creed couldn't take that look and reluctantly allowed a whimper to escape. He felt his heart pound as he stared into his love's eyes, his moans increasing as Train protruded his bottom lip a little, completing the sullen look.

Sven watched this dismal display and rolled his eyes. He smacked Train on the back of the head eliciting a yelp from the teen and stopping him from this unfair game.

"Train, dude, that's not fair."

Train gave him a confused look as he rubbed the spot where Sven hit. At his friend's motion towards Creed, Train couldn't help but smirk a little bit. His look changed to a devious one, taking a big gulp of milk.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? I am currently broccoli free."

Sven scoffed at his friend. "Not cool, Train."

Train shrugged his shoulders while he continued to drink. He had become more accustomed to his partner's feelings towards him. Enough so that, as long as it was innocent fun, Train liked to mess with him a bit. His other friends didn't appreciate it too much, but the cat boy couldn't help it. He loved joking with his friends, especially Creed. His reactions were priceless and it was just so easy. All the cat had to do was look at him and Creed would crumble and give him whatever he wanted.

With a glance at his partner, Train could see Creed's eyes beginning to glaze over which was always a sign he was about to lose his senses and embrace Train. Before that could happen, Train messed with his friend's hair, getting him out of his stupor. Usually if Train touched him first, he was able to prevent the situation from escalating.

"He knows I'm just teasing. Right, Creed?"

Creed's whole face brightened at Train's contact and nodded vigorously. Anything to keep his beloved's hands on him. Creed honestly didn't mind the teasing since it often ended in some sort of physical contact with his love.

His smile was replaced with a frown when Train pulled his hand away. However, his heart skipped a beat when Train smiled at him playfully. He let out an earnest breath of air as he drank in his Cat with his eyes.

_I will never get over that playful look he gives me. I would romp around with him all day._

With that though Creed shook his head, already feeling his thoughts get the better of him as they began to wander to a provocative place.

The friends continued their meal peacefully. Train beamed cheerfully at his friends, contentment surrounding his aura.

_All that's missing is Saya…_

Before he could fall too deep into his depression, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Train turned to see Creed's worshipping eyes on him, genteel fingers kneading loving at his tense muscles. The Cat froze for only a second before relaxing. He smiled gratefully at his friend who did not retreat his hand.

Patting the hand affable, Train then placed it back on the table. Although he was used to Creed's fondness of him, he tried to make sure not to let him get away with too much. If he gave Creed an inch, he would take a mile.

_Still, it's nice having him here to bring me back from that dark hole. How does he always know when I'm slipping?_

Smiling, Train was able to enjoy the rest of his lunch sadness free.

* * *

"Ahh! Where is it?!"

Train was currently in a panic and tearing up his backpack. He was about to head to Kenta's class when he remembered the homework from the previous class. Train had completed it, thanks to Creed's help, but the man would not have believed him if he said he couldn't find it.

The Cat continued to growl and curse quietly to himself as Creed watched him with worry. The silver boy stood next to his beloved and began to search his locker. "Did you leave it at your apartment?"

Train stopped and thought for a minute before shaking his head, "No. I remember specifically putting it in **this** folder." The feline teen shook said folder violently to emphasize his point. "I'm trying to be more organized like you suggested and it's not working! I thought if I put it in this exact folder I wouldn't lose it.

Creed rolled his eyes at his love then grimaced at Train's locker. Granted, it was better than it had been before Creed organized it, but it was still a mess. "I know you're trying, Train, but this-" He gestured to the locker, "-Is **not** organized. I'm surprised you haven't lost yourself in here!"

Train made a mocking noise eliciting a giggle from Creed. The blue eyed teen grabbed a pile of papers from his savior's locker and dropped them on his head. His love screeched like a frightened cat and glared up at his friend.

"You are **really** pushing it today!"

Creed giggled again and flirtatiously twirled his fingers through the tips of Train's hair. "Oh, I think I could push a little more…"

The silver teen's heart floated to his throat at Train's irked blush as his love glowered up at him. His hero often became flustered to the point of silence when Creed flirted with him, much to the blue eyed teen's delight.

_It may bother him a bit, but if he can tease me then I can tease him back._

With that thought in mind, Creed took his index finger and gently bopped Train's nose. His love jumped at the contact and wrinkled his nose in response. His cheeks turned a brighter shade of red as he smacked Creed's hand away and resumed his search in his bag.

Feeling proud of himself, Creed turned back to the locker, searching for his Cat's homework while organizing the mess of papers at the same time. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Creed felt a small wave of dread wash through him.

"Train, we need to hurry. We've only got about five minutes before we're on time for class."

Kenta was very strict with everything, but especially with being on time to class. He always said, _"To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is unacceptable."_

Creed rolled his eyes at that. _And he never accepts a late pass…_

Kenta's strictness and lack of sympathy for both he and his love made the class torturous. If they weren't there soon, they'd never hear the end of it.

"Train, we need to hurry."

He glanced down at his love and noticed that in his panic he had taken Kuro out of his bag. The stuffed cat was sitting off to the side becoming buried under the pile of junk that resided in his love's bag.

Creed made a motion towards the small creature, but was stopped immediately when a large foot made contact with it, stamping it harshly into the floor. Blue eyes rose hurriedly to meet a pair of hostile brown ones. Sausage fingers wrapped severely around the poor kitten and Creed could have sworn he heard it emanate a real cat being strangled.

Baldor brought the toy to his face, almost sniffing it in disgust like a wolf assessing its prey. His cold eyes met Creed's frightened ones and smirked.

"Really, freak? You walk around with toys now?" Baldor tossed it in the air and caught it with a tight first. He looked at the bullied teen and glanced down at Train who hadn't seemed to register his presence yet. "And not just any toy; a toy **cat**? Are you really **that** desperate, psycho?"

Creed's face turned a heated shade of red as he made a grab for the cat. He didn't bother to correct him on who the animal belonged to. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. As he reached for it, he was greeted with the back of Train's head which lightly hit him in the face. Not hard enough not to knock him over, but enough to push him into Train's open locker.

"Found it!" The cat exclaimed proudly, holding the paper high in the air as if it were a trophy.

Train then grimaced when he realized the person he was speaking to was a moose instead of his best friend. "Ew. Gross. I require at least six feet between myself and any odorous objects." He pointed to his nose, "Sensitive senses and all."

The Cat then noticed what he held in his grip and changed his mood completely. "How did you get that…?"

Badlor's scowl turned back to a smirk. "Oh, does this belong to you? I knew you were childish and egotistical, but this is a bit much, isn't it? Walking around with a small keepsake of yourself." He glanced at Creed who was currently pulling himself out of Train's locker. "Honestly, I thought it belonged to your fanboy over there. He already scampers after you like a lost puppy, it would make sense that he'd carry around a smaller version of you to keep him company."

Train was barely registering the bully's words. He was too preoccupied keeping an eye on Kuro, feeling like the large teen was choking a tiny Saya in his grotesque hand.

"By the way, thanks for doing my job for me." Baldor motioned towards a scrambling Creed digging himself out of the mess of Train's locker. "Can't say I blame you. I'd get sick of seeing that face always following me around if I were you. But a locker is a bit cliche, don'tcha think?"

Train's eyes turned cold which matched the tone of his voice that dripped with venom, "Give it back…"

Baldor raised an eyebrow, surprised at the Cat's lack of witty rebuttal. "What's this? No smartass remarks? Have I finally found the off switch to your brain?"

To make his point, the large teen grabbed the tiny cat by the tail, other hand gripping its face aggressively. He then started to pull them in the opposite direction, the soft fabric of the toy beginning to rip mildly.

Train snapped and pushed Baldor in the chest. The moose was big, but the cat was very strong and slowly losing grip of his senses. Although Baldor didn't move as much as Train wanted him, that didn't stop him. Again, Train pushed his chest across the hallway until the jock's back was against the wall opposite the lockers.

"Give. It. **Back**." Train said each word between pushes, eyes glowing with a fury Baldor had never seen.

However, this did not stop the moose from continuing his actions. He held the cat higher in the air, laughing down at the smaller teen.

"Seriously?! **This** is what pushes you over the edge? This is absurd!" He placed his other hand over his face, laughing joyfully into his palm.

Train eyed Kuro, now seeing Saya's teal eyes replacing the cat's fake black ones. He gripped Baldor's collar firmly, balling his other hand in a first. The moose saw this and dug his nails deep into the feline boy's wrists, enough to evoke blood from the skin. Baldor only widened his smirk as he felt the warm substance slither under his nails.

"Do it, Cat…" He glared intensely into Train's eyes. Baldor had been waiting a long time to pummel this asshole, and it looked like he had finally found his trigger.

As Train raised his hand up and readied for contact with the bully's hard face when he felt a body being thrown at him. Looking over sharply at the intrusion, Train was met with the panicked blue eyes of his best friend.

Creed, having seen all this unfold and finally getting himself out of Train's paper mess, had thrown himself at his love's arm, clinging to it desperately, preventing his Cat from making a terrible mistake. He wasn't strong enough to stop either of them, but he could at least jump on his beloved and take a bullet for him if necessary.

The silver boy's eyes were mixed with worry and concern... Love and desperation. Train's mood flattered slightly at seeing that look. His friend was shining so many emotions straight into his soul that he couldn't help but freeze.

"Train! Don't! It's not worth it..." Creed's look changed to utter repugnance when he looked at Baldor. " **He** isn't worth it."

The bully's smirk never left his face as he responded to Creed for the cat. "Oh, this will **so** be worth it. Don't listen to this **freak**. This has been a loooong time coming."

The moose felt proud at seeing a bit of the rage return to Train's golden irises. He had wanted to punch this kid in the face since the first day he met him.

Creed turned his attention back to his love who was now looking at Baldor, the anger drifting back up his face. With one arm still wrapped firmly around Train's bicep, the other reached to his face. Creed turned his head gently, giving his Cat the most devoted, nurturing, affectionate look he could.

"Train…Breathe… " That was all he could say without completely breaking down. He was hoping his eyes could do the talking for him.

Slowly, Train released his hold on the bully. He lowered his hand and stepped away from Baldor. The cat rubbed his wrist absentmindedly, barely noticing the blood that stained his jacket sleeve.

Turning away from Baldor and to his friend, Creed beamed happily at that playful look returning to his face.

Train nodded, "Thanks, Creed."

Baldor had let his guard down which Train decided to take advantage of to get the toy back. Quickly, he grabbed the cat from the bully's hand, never making eye contact. The golden boy brushed it off and frowned. "Great, now I have to wash it. Your stench is all over it. Thanks a lot, moose."

Grabbing his bag, Train walked back to his locker and slammed it shut. He didn't bother cleaning up the papers, they were mostly garbage and they needed to get going.

"Let's go, Creed. Before we have a different fight we'll definitely lose."

Sighing in relief, Creed followed his love, both boys ignoring the grumbles emitting from the bully. An angry scream brought their attention back. Turning their heads, the teens noticed Baldor sprinting towards them, first raised in the air, readying an attack against the cat.

As he approached Train, he swung as hard as he could. However, Creed had jumped in front of Train and took the hook straight to his left eye. The force of the punch launched him into his cat's arms, who was too shocked to react to the charging moose.

Both boys fell to the ground, Train breaking Creed's fall with his body. The silver teen groaned in pain in Train's arms, rolling over so his face was buried in Train's chest, seeking comfort in his warmth.

Baldor looked disappointed at missing Train, but still basking in glory at having at least made contact with Creed.

Baldor spit at their feet, "That's what you get for trying to play hero for once, freak. Enjoy your cat."

The teen went to leave when he was stopped by a harsh voice, "BALDORIAS FANGHINI, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"

He bully turned around to see a very small, yet very angry Tanaka approaching him. At this point they had earned enough attention a student went to retrieve a teacher. Tanaka's room was the closest and she made it just in time to see the punch.

Baldor pointed at the teens on the ground, "They started it!"

Tanaka stopped in front of him. The woman may have been half his size, but she was still intimidating enough to make even Baldor shut up. "What I saw was two students trying to get to class when you attacked them! To Hotaka's office, **now**!"

Slumping his head in defeat, Baldor complied. He already knew the woman had his coach wrapped around her finger, so he complied. He glanced once more at his adversaries on the ground, muttering unflattering words under his breath.

Tanaka snapped her fingers at the student who summoned her from her room, "Follow him to make sure he gets there. If he lays a hand on you, yell and I'll catch up. I need to check on the boys."

The girl bowed and did as she was told, following a safe distance behind the wild beast.

Tanaka put her attention on her students. Creed was still groaning into Train's chest, the cat panicked and confused, not sure what to do. "Creed?! Are you okay?! What the hell!"

The Silver Dollar didn't respond, only clutched his eye and Train's shirt. He wanted so much to enjoy being in his love's arms, but his face hurt so much. Even when Train pulled him away to look at it all Creed could do was whimper and shove his face back to its previous home.

"Train, take him to the nurse. They'll give him an ice pack. I'll write a report and Baldor will most likely be suspended. I saw exactly what happened, I'll make sure Kenta knows as well."

Creed could hear Tanaka's voice, but didn't really care. Between the pain in his eye and the joy of snuggling his cat, he was conflicted.

_Ughhhh, he smells so good! But my eye hurts so much! Damn that moose!_

The bullied teen clutched harder to Train, desperate not to let go or move from his lap. He could feel Train nod his head and lift the teen up. Seeing that Creed wasn't going to let go, he decided to carry him to the nurse.

Without another word, Creed's love rushed down the hall in the direction of the nurse's office.

Despite the pain, Creed managed to see his beloved from his uninjured eye. He smiled faintly, pushing the throbbing pain in his eye aside as he allowed his hero to engulf him. Whimpering in both anguish and pleasure, Creed pressed his face harder against Train's chest. His cat was too panicked to tell him no, so Creed took advantage of the moment.

He breathed in deeply to let his nostrils fill with his love's scent, pressed his hand against his chest to feel the strong muscles straining to carry him across campus. His cheek hand moved to Train's shoulder, able to hear his hero's rapid heartbeat echo in his head. The silver boy smiled lovingly up at his beloved, ironically at peace with the world.

_I was able to protect him from that moose… And now, he's carrying me to safety._

Snuggling as close as he could, Creed memorized every second of this moment, knowing Train may never hold him like this again.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Creed smiled warmly at his friend. "Yes, Train, I'm fine. Stop worrying."

His Cat had asked him that question a thousand times clearly blaming himself for the whole situation.

Creed was holding a large bag of ice to his eye. Right now, it was just red and slightly swollen. However, the nurse had assured him it would be black and blue in no time.

Grimacing a bit at that thought, Creed switched hands that held the ice pack. "You didn't have to walk me back,Train. I would have been fine if you wanted to stay in school."

The two had been given the option to leave early after the encounter with Baldor. While Creed was over the moon that his love had wanted to accompany him home, the silver teen couldn't help but feel bad his cat was missing another day.

_I just feel like he's missed so many because of me…_

Train waved away his remorseful thoughts as he walked alongside his partner. "Nah, I wasn't going to be able to concentrate for the rest of the day anyway. Besides, what better reason to miss that asshole's class then my best friend just took a punch to the face from the biggest, baddest bully in school?"

Every word in that sentence sent gratifying shock waves throughout Creed's body. The knowledge that he was not only close enough for Train to openly refer to him as his best friend, _\- Even though I want **so** much more -_ but the fact that his savior was so proud of him made his heart float with the ease of a butterfly.

Stopping suddenly, Creed turned to his friend and grabbed his hand tenderly, squeezing the strong fingers between his own delicate ones. "Anything for you, Train. I couldn't let him bruise your pretty face."

Train rolled his eyes and released his hand from Creed's light grip. "Alright, I get it. You can stop embarrassing me now."

Smiling tauntingly, Creed walked a little faster to catch up to his love, who didn't break stride during the moment. "How is it embarrassing if it's the truth?" Creed swooned at Train's faint blush, not needing to see his face to know he was rolling his eyes again.

Feeling Creed's eyes on him, the cat scratched his cheek, hoping that would block the other's view enough and persuade him to halt his actions. "Whatever…"

The pair walked in comfortable silence for a few blocks. They were headed to Creed's house so he could replace the ice in his bag. The idea of going there with his beloved scared Creed beyond belief after the last run in his cat had with his mother, but he didn't really have a choice. There weren't any stores nearby that sold ice and Train didn't have any means to make ice at his apartment. Besides, that woman hadn't been around much lately. While he wasn't sure about during the day, nights and mornings she was out somewhere doing God knows what. Creed didn't know nor did he care, it was just nice not having to worry about her or that brute of a man she called a lover.

Creed scoffed to himself. That's not love. _What I feel for Train is love. That's just… vulgar. What they do is a crime against nature. My feelings for Train are pure and innocent._

He giggled a little. _Well, maybe not totally innocent…_

"What's so funny?"

The silver teen twitched slightly at Train's voice. Cheeks outlined in a complimentary shade of pink. "Nothing… Just thinking to myself."

Train eyed his companion wearily. "Yeah, I know where your thoughts go sometimes. Just keep your thoughts in your head." The brunette flicked the side of Creed's head, eliciting another giggle from his silver friend. "Anyway, we're here."

They stood in front of Creed's apartment building. Train hadn't been here since **that** time, but he still remembered the building well. A shiver went down his back as he thought of it and eyed his friend gloomily. "You sure you want to go up by yourself?"

Creed nodded firmly. "Yes. If she is home and decides to put her hands on you I won't be the only one with a black eye."

Train tried to shrug his shoulders nonchalantly as best he could, but Creed could see the concern in those golden orbs he adored so much. He patted his cat's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be fine. I'm just running up real quick then we can go to our tree and study. Two minutes, tops."

With that, Creed was off, not giving his love a chance to refute that fact that it was "their" tree. He snickered when he heard Train scoff, knowing all too well the boy had folded his arms angrily and leaned against the wall with a frustrated puff.

Creed ran up the stairs as fast as he could, not wanting to keep his love waiting and also not wanting to spend more time there then he had to. He pulled out his key as he approached the door but was halted by the voice.

"Oh, you're back I see…"

A cold rush of terror ran through him. He knew that voice anywhere. Knew it almost as well as he knew Train's… but for different reasons. Creed gripped his keys between his fingers to use as a weapon just in case.

He could feel Izo getting closer, his heat threatening to combine with Creed's own with each step he took. "We haven't seen you in days… We were beginning to worry…"

He kept his back to the predator, making sure his voice sounded malevolent as possible. "Oh, I'm sure you were. I thought I was finally rid of you both. Shame to see life has, yet again, decided to kick me in the stomach."

Creed managed to unlock the door, hurrying into the apartment as fast as he could to retrieve his cold treasure and return to his hero. He tried to shut the door but was stopped by heavy boots. Izo stepped into the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"You know, I've been waiting quite a while for you to come home…"

A click perked Creed's ear up and he faced the older man, keys ready between his knuckles.

"Back off…" The teen raised his fist, making it clear to the predator that he was ready for a fight.

Izo merely laughed at the boy's gesture, taking a step closer to him. "You know… I paid your mother a lot of money... "

"It's a terrible deal. You're most likely a walking petri dish by now."

His laugh turned into a demented snicker as he waved Creed's words out of the air. "No, no, not for her." He continued to step forward until Creed's back was against a wall. "For **you**."

Creed didn't need to hear any more details on the arrangement. He stabbed in the air at the older man who simply grabbed his wrist and pulled him in the air. Capturing his other wrist, Izo then pinned the teen against the wall, the teen's feet hovering off the ground helplessly.

Creed began to scream as loud as he could, but was muffled as Izo jammed a piece of fabric in his mouth. The man had come prepared and Creed had not. He struggled as hard as he could, kicking and clawing at the man frantically, praying someone would hear.

Movement from the other room signaled that his mother was here. Desperately, Creed called for even her help. In the depths of his heart he knew she wouldn't care, but he was overwrought with fear and would take anything he could get.

All he got from her was an angry yell. "Keep it down, Izo! I had a busy night last night! Just take him to the other room."

Creed's eyes filled with tears at the realization his mother did indeed pay the man. He struggled more, growing more and more tired by the minute, losing his strength to fight. The teen gulped back tears, closing his eyes as Izo began to unbutton his shirt.

_No… Please… Someone! Anyone!_

Suddenly, Creed heard Izo let out a painful groan. His hold on the boy lessened as shards of glass fell to the floor. While the man was distracted, Creed was able to slide out of his grasp, landing on the floor with a thud.

Quickly, Creed removed the gag from his mouth and breathed in precious gulps of air. He coughed and sputtered as he tried to move away from the man who wasn't quite knocked out yet.

Scrambling to the side, Creed panicked when he felt a hand grab his wrist again. He was about to crawl their fingers off when he heard a soothing voice and saw golden, frantic eyes.

"Get up!"

Creed didn't need to be told twice. His legs were shaking and his heart was racing making it a nearly impossible task, but he managed. He clasped desperately to his love's hand and they made a move for the door. Creed noted the lamp shattered on the floor and knew what Train had done.

They were mere feet away from the door when he felt callus fingers wrap around his ankle.

"Where do you think you're going? I haven't gotten what I paid for yet!"

Creed screamed and tried to pull his leg free, now being stuck in a tug-of-war between a devil and an angel. Unfortunately for his angel, the devil was larger. With one swift motion, Creed was pulled to the floor and out of his cat's grasp.

Train made a dive for his friend again, but was stopped by a large knee to the face. He flew back, head slamming against the carpeted floor. The cat was up again quickly, making another move towards Creed.

Izo had wrapped his arm around Creed's neck, halting Train in his steps. He smirked down at the new arrival, a deranged gleam in his eyes.

"Hey, babe! How much for two?"

Creed's mother never entered the room, but responded nonetheless. "What are you talking about? There's only the one. Just shut up and get it over with. My head is killing me!"

Izo shrugged his shoulders and kneed Train in the chest. While Train was kneeling on the ground, coughing violently, the large man grabbed a hold of his hair. Creed reached out for his beloved, scratching fiercely at the man's wrists.

"Well, you heard the lady. I only paid for the one."

Just as Izo was about to throw Train across the room, the cat pounced. He grabbed a shard of glass from the broken lamp and punched him right in the face, the sharp weapon between his index and middle finger.

Izo howled loudly and dropped Creed. Blood gushed between his fingers as he stepped away from the boys.

Without a second thought, Train grabbed his partner and dashed to the door. Creed was being dragged after him, the boy doing his best to regain his footing.

They ran for what seemed like hours, no clear path of where they were going. They just knew they needed to get as far aways as possible. Train ran until he couldn't run any longer and found himself in the middle of a park by a lake.

Satisfied he had run far enough, the cat tried to catch his breath. He looked at Creed deliriously, checking his friend's eyes for any source of light. "Are you okay?!"

Creed stared at his hero for several seconds before launching himself at the boy he loved. He wept deeply, wrists bleeding, heart empty, soul crushed. Words were beyond him at his point. All he could do was cry into his hero's shoulder and pray his love wouldn't pull away.

Train didn't. In fact, he did the opposite. He wrapped his arms around his friend's waist and whispered soothing words in his ear. "Shhh… It's okay, Creed. I'm here… You're safe now… "

Creed's body could no longer support him. He felt his legs give out as he collapsed to the ground, Training falling with him. The silver teen huddled as closely as he could to his love. He curled his legs into Train's lap, fingers digging hysterically into his chest, face nestled so deeply in his neck he could feel his hero's heart beat. The Silver Dollar pressed as hard as he could into his beloved, losing all his strength, unable to control his need anymore.

He cried a loud, ugly cry, but he didn't care. Creed needed to get this feeling out and he needed Train's strength right now. He was so pathetic, so weak. He was such a piece of trash, no wonder his mother paid someone to treat him as such.

Creed didn't realize he spoke those words out loud. Train rubbed Creed's back soothingly, allowing his friend to dig himself deeper and deeper into Train.

"You're none of that, Creed. **They** are the monsters. **They** are garbage, not you." Train felt a rather violent sob escape his partner's chest and sighed grievously. Looking up at the sky, as if searching for the answer, Train allowed silence to rule for a while.

After a few minutes, Train squeezed his friend a little tighter, noticing his contact was the only thing keeping the boy stable right now. Creed found a way to bury himself further into his beloved and slowed his breathing a little. A few more squeezes from Train did the trick and Creed was back to breathing normal.

However, he was still unwilling and unable to release his love. Finding his voice again, Creed managed to stammer out a few words. "I love you… So much…"

Train chuckled at his friend's words, rubbing his back again despite the implications he knew Creed would make later. "I know, Creed… I know…"

* * *

The two stayed like that for a few hours, Train allowing Creed to cry and cling, giving his friend at least that much after what he'd been through.

After a few hours, Train's legs were beginning to fall asleep and he had to move his friend, who had also fallen asleep in his lap. The cat frowned sadly at Creed, who never released his hold for even a second.

_He cried himself to sleep… I can't blame him for not wanting to let go._

Still, it was nearly midnight and Train was pretty sure they didn't want to spend the night in the middle of a park.

_Not to mention this neighborhood has high crime rates… We should go._

Trains thoughts stopped when his Creed moved slightly in his lap. He watched as his partner grimaced painfully in his sleep, another tear falling down his cheek.

"No… please… Help me…"

Those words broke Train's heart and he pulled his friend back into a hug. Creed's face changed from sadness to joy, nuzzling his cheek against Train's chest.

"Train… My cat… My hero…"

Train's sigh spoke for many emotions. Not wanting to hurt his partner was tricky in this situation. If he kept holding on to him, Creed would get the wrong idea. If he didn't, Creed would continue to have nightmares. He felt his friend's lithe fingers clutch at his shirt more tightly than before.

"Love you… so, so much…"

The brunette made a disgruntled sound and shook his partner slightly. "Creed… You need to wake up. We have to go."

Creed rolled rebelliously further into Train's lap.

"Creed, I know you're awake now."

The silver teen shook his head in response, not wanting to move.

Train sighed, "Creed, this isn't the place to sleep. We need shelter and warmth."

While Train knew he was keeping Creed warm, the cat was beginning to shiver himself. He was doing his best to conceal his discomfort, but he couldn't do that for much longer.

Creed moaned and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Where else will I go? I can't go back there…"

The teen shook at the idea and breathed in his cat, getting his senses to focus on something more pleasant.

With a tinge of uneasiness in his voice, Train said one of the most beautiful sentences he had ever heard. "You can stay with me tonight."

Blue eyes shone brightly into golden ones. While the hope was present in his friend's soul, Train could tell there was still a level of pain. He wasn't going to get over tonight that quickly.

"We'll figure the rest out later, but for now… You need to be somewhere you feel safe. And, as much as I hate to admit it, that's with me."

At Creed's needy nod, Train smiled and patted him on the head. "Hey, it wouldn't be the first time, right?"

Creed smiled at the pat and his love's words. He still didn't want to leave Train's lap, but was forced to as his cat stood up. He watched and waited as Train rubbed the feeling back into his legs. When he was done, Creed promptly latched back on to his arm.

Pleadingly, he looked up at his love, "Please?"

Train sighed and nodded. "It's… fine. You're probably still weak from this entire day."

The brunette could see a bit of the old Creed returning, so he figured it was best to let Creed attach himself to Train for now. He couldn't have his best friend fall into darkness just because he was uncomfortable.

They walked home in silence, not needing to talk. Creed occasionally buried his head into Train's arm which the cat permitted. He knew his friend needed him right now, so he wasn't going to fight it.

When they reached Train's apartment the feline boy scratched some ice off the walls of his tiny freezer located in his fridge. Creed blinked as Train handed him a small pile of ice wrapped in a paper towel.

"I know it's not much, but we still need to keep ice on that eye."

Creed smiled warmly at his beloved. "No, it's perfect, Train… Thank you."

Train walked to his bed and collapsed, Creed following closely behind. When he fell, he landed almost on top of his cat, still needing that physical contact now more than ever. Again, Train allowed it.

Creed eyed the room tentatively, then eyed his love. "Train… Can… Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

Train waved his hand in the air. "Of course. I'm not about to make you sleep on the floor after today." Creed beamed delightfully at his love, but frowned as he continued. "I'll sleep on the floor. At this point I'm so tired I could sleep anywhere."

"Train… no…" Creed pleaded again, clutching desperately at his love's hands. "I can't be alone tonight. My mind keeps going back to that moment." He could feel the darkness slowly enveloping his heart. "The only thing keeping me sane is you right now." Another beseeching look. "Please…"

Train's face was flat on his mattress the whole time, but he didn't need to see Creed's face to know what was happening in his mind. His voice spoke volumes of trauma that Train couldn't ignore.

_Ugh! What do I do? Again, if I agree, I'm giving him the wrong idea. But if I don't… He might fall into a hole I can't dig him out of._

With that thought in mind, Train nodded into his mattress. "...Okay… Fine. But, Creed," Train lifted his head for this, needing his friend to understand. "You can't let your mind wander to unintended meanings. Got that? I'm doing this because I care about you as a friend and I don't want you to be destroyed by this mess. Please, don't read into this."

Creed nodded graciously and positioned himself under the blanket. Resting his head on Train's pillow, he waited eagerly for Train to lay next to him.

Train did his best to suppress an exhausted sigh and mimicked Creed's movements. He, however, did not place his head on the pillow. The cat only had the one pillow and he didn't want to share it with Creed to further jeopardize the situation.

When his cat curled up next to him, Creed immediately latched on again, nestling his head against Train's chest. Sensing his beloved's unease, the damaged teen begged his hero.

"Train… please. I know I'm asking a lot of you and I won't read into this, I promise. I just…" He wrapped his petite arms around Train's strong arm. "... I don't know where my mind will go if I don't have this. I need to know where the light in my life is right now… because I'm having a really hard time finding it…"

Stifling his emotions, Train allowed it. "This is really pushing it, but… okay. I understand. As long as I have your word this won't complicate things further… it's fine."

Train pulled the blankets up to his chin, not even bothering to care about sleeping in his school uniform. He hadn't even taken his jacket off, but it didn't matter. Sleep was quickly overtaking him.

Creed smiled at his beloved and nuzzled his face deeper into Train. He focused every sense, every emotion, every thought on his cat. He needed to get that monster out of his head. He could still feel the man pressing him against the wall. He could hear his mother's heartless voice admit she sold her own son to a predator.

All those feelings needed to be replaced with happy ones and the only thing that made him happy right now was Train. Breathing his love's sense in deeply, he let Train's presence surround him. Before he drifted off to sleep, he needed to ask one more question.

"Train?" He said quietly, wondering if his love was still awake.

A muffled "hm" was his response, so he continued. "How… did you know to come save me? You were waiting outside… so far away. How did you know I needed you?"

Train laughed, clearly growing a little delirious from tiredness. "I saw that bastard walking in the building. The way he smirked at me just gave me a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, so I followed him up. I kept my distance just in case, but as soon as he shut the door I ran over and busted in to kick ass!"

The cat punched the air as if he was still fighting Izo, jostling Creed against him before crashing his limbs against the bed again. The damaged teen reclaimed his shelter against his cat once more, smiling at the image of Train kicking bad guy butt.

Creed couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and allowed sleep to take control. The last thing he said was an impulse that slipped his control as tiredness engulfed him. "I love you, Train…"

Also half asleep, Train patted his friend's arms that still clung to him. "I know, Creed. Now sleep. You won't be alone tonight."


	13. Friendship Isn't About Score

Content warning to anyone watching: violence/assault.

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters.

* * *

**Friendship Isn't About Score**

Cerulean eyes opened slowly, blinking as they regained their focus. A wearied smile adorned Creed's fair lips as he was greeted by the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

His cat was sprawled across the bed, one hand twisted inelegantly in his chocolate locks, the other resting lazily against his stomach. Train's mouth was opened boorishly as a little bit of droll seeped from the corner of his lips. Creed could hear his love mumble every so often, his words incoherent, but adorable nonsense.

The silver teen could only stare at his love and cling to one of his arms. He had never let go of the sacred limb all night.

The bullied teen moved his body a little close to his beloved, groaning a little as he realized how much pain his body was in. His physical state reminded him of the events that had unfolded yesterday.

" _You know… I paid your mother a lot of money... "_

Creed felt a creepiness crawl up his spine as his mind began to replay the moment in his head. The teen quickly shoved his face into his hero, inhaling deeply, letting Train's scent overwhelm him. After a few deep breaths, Creed began to calm down. His mind slowly drifted into adoring thoughts as he gazed longingly at his cat.

His smile turned into a frown as he studied Train's face. His right eye had turned a dark shade of blue, his cheek was red and swollen, and there was a small scratch on his bottom lip. Creed's eyes scanned down the rest of his beloved's body. Train was still in his school uniform, so he couldn't see what was underneath, but he had an idea. Izo had given him a pretty good beating, so Creed wouldn't be surprised if the rest of his love's skin had changed its natural color.

Instinctively, Creed reached out to touch his hero's face. Before he could reach the slightly dirty skin, Train rolled over towards him, still babbling aimlessly. The arm that was previously tangled in his hair stretched outwards and towards Creed, landing harshly against the silver teen's chest. The force of it caused Creed to let out a bit of air, a blush gracing his pearly cheeks.

Creed was pinned u innder Train's strong arm, the brunette still obviously asleep as his snoring and mumbling continued. The blue eyed teen was wide awake and gushing, unbearably ecstatic at his beloved's current position. Creed curled his body closer to his cat, snuggling as far into Train's chest as he possibly could. A happy sigh escaped his lips and Train's warmth consumed him, contentment raining across his body.

The teen's moment was short lived as he heard his love let out an agonizing groan. Creed mopped outwardly as his savior rolled back to his previous position, amber eyes wrinkling in pain as he clutched his head.

"Oh, man, I feel like I got hit by a truck…"

Still moping at the loss of contact with his love, Creed sat up on his elbows, eyeing his cat up and down with concern. "Well… You kind of were..."

Train winced when he went to rub the sleep from his eyes, unaware of the new color it had turned. He yelped out in pain and clutched said eye, jolting up into a sitting position at the sensation.

Creed reached out and pulled his cat's hand away so he could inspect it better. Pale lips contorted morosely and then gestured to his own. "We match."

Train stared for a minute at his friend then laughed and rolled his eyes, the motion eliciting another painful howl. His hands rushed back to his face as he fell back against his bed defeated.

"Yeah… I guess so…" Train muttered bemusedly, loud enough for Creed to hear, earning a chuckle from his silver haired partner.

Creed reached out to Train's stomach, remembering Izo had attacked him there as well. As his delicate hand reached for Train's shirt, lifting it slightly the cat grabbed his wrists to stop him.

Raising an eyebrow and eyeing his friend uncomfortably, the cat spoke in an uneasy tone. "Creed, what are you doing? You promised not to read into anything…"

The bullied teen waved his love's hands away, gaze remaining on Train's stomach. "Stop worrying, I just want to see if the rest of you is as beat up as your face is."

Train watched wearily as his friend continued his quest at inspecting the cat's body. The brunette grimaced as Creed's fingers traced the toned muscles there, skin beginning to bruise. Train pushed his partner's hands away when Creed started to linger, sitting up again and pulling his shirt back down.

"Yeah, there's a bruise there, I can see it. No need to idle your hands." As Train went to move off the bed he writhed in pain again, stopping at the end of the bed to sit.

Creed was by his side quickly, concerned hands hovering carefully over his beloved. When the blue eyed teen made a move towards Train's stomach again, the cat stopped him.

"I'm fine, Creed. Mind your hands."

Blue eyes pouted at golden ones. "Train, I just want to help. Stop pushing me away."

Train had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, knowing it would only hurt. "Your hands and eyes aren't going to change my current physical state, so there's really no sense in touching or looking."

With that, Train willed himself off the bed, glancing out the window as he did so. "Shit, school starts in an hour and a half…" The teen looked down at his stomach, hand pressed lightly against his growing bruise, other hand reaching to his face to finger his eye tenderly.

Train then noticed the state of his clothes. His jacket was splattered with bits of blood and dirt, wrinkled almost beyond repair. The end of his shirt was tattered and split and his tie had somehow gone missing. There was a hole in his right pant leg, just below his knee and his shoes were caked in mud.

The feline boy sighed dejectedly then winced at the pain, putting his hand up preemptively to stop Creed. "I'm fine, I just need to change."

Train made his way to the dresser and dug out a new pair of clothes. When he turned around he faltered slightly as he was met with burning blue eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Creed said, arms crossed, eyebrow cocked.

"To school…" Train hesitated as if it was the wrong answer.

"No, you're not." Creed answered matter-of-factly, proving that Train **was** wrong. "Look at the state you're in. You can barely stand let alone walk. There's no way you're going to make it through the day."

Train flapped his hands in Creed's face, as if they would clean the words out of the air. "Nah, I'm fine. See!" Train flexed his arms as if that proved something. "Totally normal, I got this."

Creed did his best not to react to Train's flexing, not wanting to give his cat the satisfaction of distracting him. It only worked a little as the silver teen felt himself blush and swallowed a little.

Shaking his head, he controlled his emotions and replied to his cat. "Train, you could barely get out of bed. How do you expect to walk all the way to campus and last through every class?"

Train ignored his friend and continued digging for a clean pair of clothes from his dresser. His dirty and clean clothes were always mixed together, so it was hard to tell which was which sometimes.

"I can't keep taking days off. Graduation is just around the corner and I'm almost at my limit for days I'm allowed to take off. Despite the pain, I need to go in."

Creed frowned, "But we were given permission to take today off as well if we wanted. Hotaka-san said it was okay…"

Train brushed his friend's pleading words aside. "No, he gave **you** permission. I was given only half of yesterday."

Creed sighed at his love's words and turned his back to Train. His cat was trying to change and kept eyeing Creed obtusely, motioning him to look away. As much as the silver teen longed to see more of his love, he respected him enough to give him privacy.

"I still think you should stay home… What are you going to tell our friends?"

Train shrugged his shoulders, slipping his pants on quickly before Creed's curiosity got the best of him. "I'll just tell them I tripped down some stairs. You know me, I'm always falling over something, they'll believe me."

Creed laughed at his love, "Yes, because you're never paying attention…"

At Creed's dreamy voice, Train gently smacked his partner in the shoulder, signaling him to stop his thoughts and turn back around. His friend did so and Train rolled his eyes inwardly at the sullen look on his face, realizing the silver boy was hoping the golden teen had forgotten to put something on.

To bring his partner back to reality, Train messed with his hair. "I'll be fine, Creed. The better question is, will **you** be okay?"

Creed smiled at his cat's playful gesture. He took a minute to think about what Train had said, nodded his head hesitantly. "I… I think so… I'm not as concerned about missing days as you are and I was given permission…"

Even if he wasn't allowed the extra day, Creed's grades were so high he didn't think they would punish him for taking a few days at the end of his senior year. He had already started applying to colleges who were very interested and even offering scholarships. Anything to get the best out of his school.

The next question worried him, since he didn't know how Train would respond. "Could… I stay here…?"

Train smiled, "Of course! Where else would you stay?"

The cat grimaced slightly as Creed squealed happily and embraced him quickly. The Silver Dollar pulled away self consciously, realizing he had overstepped his boundaries. "Sorry, Train… And thank you…" He dug his feet into the carpeted floor, his gaze locked on to the ground. "For everything…"

Train patted his friend on the shoulder, squeezing slightly to give Creed the comfort he knew he still needed. "There are double locks on the door and if I ever get too nervous about the company gathering outside, I push the dresser in front of the door." With his thumb, Train gestured to the window. "There's also a small piece of wood I put in the window since the lock doesn't work well. It should be there, but you can double check if you want to be sure."

Creed smiled at his love and touched his hand briefly, "Thank you, Train. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Returning his smile, Train grabbed his backpack and headed for the door. "That's not what friendship is about, Creed. You don't owe me anything. Just take care of yourself."

Before he left, he turned and waved goodbye to his best friend, who looked about ready to cry at his departure.

* * *

"What the hell happened to your face?!"

Train was greeted by the panicked eyes and worried hands of his green haired friend, his stunning girlfriend at his side, eyes filled with just as much concern as Sven's.

"And where's Creed? Is he okay?" Eve asked, pulling an ice pack out of her lunch bag and holding it to Train's eye.

The cat boy took the ice and nodded in thanks, wincing at the cold against his warm face. "Creed is fine. Hotaka-san gave him the day off in case he needed it to recover. As for me-" Train gestured to his body, "-I fell down some stairs while responding to a text from Saya."

His friends both sighed in agitation, sharing a look with each other before turning back to their beaten up friend.

"We've told you your lack of attention would get you in trouble someday… I bet Saya gave you a real earful when you told her." Sven elbowed his friend, earning a painful groan which he immediately apologized for.

"Oh, I didn't tell her." Train said in between apologies and jolts of pain.

Even rolled her eyes, "Of course you didn't…"

Before the golden haired girl could berate Train further, the cat boy had been knocked to the ground by a black blur. Eve blinked as her blonde locks danced past her face briefly. She glanced to the ground to see a sprawled out Train yelping in agony with a proud Kyoko sitting on top of him.

"Neko Neko! What happened?!" She shouted after she realized Train's current state.

Train didn't respond, nearly clutched his eye and his stomach, continuing to howl woefully.

Sven hurriedly pulled the girl off Train, seeing as no one else would do it without Creed or Charden around. "He fell down some stairs when he wasn't paying attention. He's going to need space today."

The enthusiastic girl sulked at the green teen, but allowed herself to be pulled off nonetheless. "Awww, poor Neko Neko." She patted his head lovingly, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.

Train slapped her away quickly before returning to his agonized clutching. He glared daggers at the girl as she giggled at his reaction. She patted his uninjured cheek gingerly and winked.

"It's a shame, looks like your body guard isn't here today either." She giggled again as Train boxed the air around him, preventing her from touching him further. She stood up and brushed her legs off, "Well, guess I'll go to class then." She blew Train a kiss then turned on her heel, waving as she left.

If he could, Train would have been throwing daggers at her with his glare. Alas, he could barely stand back up let alone give dirty looks.

_Great… looks like today will be even harder than I thought without Creed..._

Train knew his day wasn't going to be the best with his friend, but he thought it would at least be tolerable. However, just the first five minutes and he was already knocked to the ground and fussed over for his bruises.

 _But I need to be here. I_ _ **have**_ _to graduate. I can't let all this hard work be for nothing._

The cat boy's thoughts were halted by a hand in his face. Sven smiled down at him, hand outstretched to help the boy up. Train took the hand and returned the smile, standing and pretending doing so didn't hurt at all.

Sven heard his friend's stifled moans and frowned. "You sure you're going to be okay, Train? Maybe you should go home."

Eve nodded in agreement, "Sven's right. If you can't stand you shouldn't be here.

Train took a quick breath and nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine. Geeze, guys are almost as bad as Creed."

Sven laughed, "Well, if that's how you feel I guess we'll just leave you to your own devices." The olive haired teen walked away, blonde beauty in tow, and waved at his friend. "Good luck without Creed today!"

Train chuckled and waved back to his friend. "I'll be fine!"

* * *

Train was **not** fine. The teen was currently limping his way home, head aching with knowledge he was pretty sure he had not absorbed. It was taking longer than usual to get home seeing as he couldn't walk his normal speed. He already contacted his employer to give them a heads up he wouldn't be making it in.

_There goes another paycheck… Hopefully I can make rent this month… And those other checks have stopped as well…_

Train couldn't remember the last time he received that extra money he had begun to rely on. Luckily, he picked up a new contracted position that paid more, so he was able to make ends meet. But, if he kept missing work like this, he might be screwed.

He sighed a big, stressful sigh. _I wonder what happened to that money? Or who they were even from?_

The cat boy shook himself from his thoughts and continued his long journey home. He was dragging his backpack, head hung low as he finally made it to his apartment building. He stopped and leaned against the doorway to catch his breath and compose himself. Train didn't want to walk in and have Creed fuss all over him and tell him he told him so. The teen grabbed his head and groaned, rubbing his temples in hopes of alleviating the pain.

_I forgot how much I rely on Creed to help me learn the material. Plus, I couldn't concentrate on anything other than my aches. I actually think I might have unlearned some things!_

Halfway through the day, Train had reverted to his old techniques of writing everything down and hoping to decipher it later.

_And with Creed's help, maybe I will. We have homework that needs to be done for tomorrow as well, so it looks like we'll have a busy night._

Train couldn't help but chuckle at that thought, knowing Creed would have taken that statement in a more… intimate manner.

Finally feeling like he was ready, Train entered the building and walked to his apartment. He pulled out his keys and grabbed the doorknob, feeling it turn freely. Train eyed the door in confusion and pushed it open.

_Huh? It's unlocked?_

Barely stepping in Train was greeted with the gentle force of another body. Creed had forgotten himself again and thrown him at his cat, wrapping his arms welcomingly around Train' neck, still being sure to be gentle.

Creed affectionately pressed his face into his beloved's supple neck, losing himself in the moment and allowing his lips to gently brush against the tanned skin he loved so much. "Welcome home, Train."

Train was stunned, frozen at the greeting, hands in the air slightly as he eyed the young man that jumped on him. He didn't throw himself so hard at Train that he hurt the teen, but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. Before the cat boy could react to the embrace, his eye scanned his apartment.

_Wow.. Guess Creed found a way to keep himself busy while I was gone._

Train barely recognized his apartment. The floor, nightstand, and dresser were spotless, his bed made with new sheets Train had never seen before. The cat boy also couldn't help but notice the second pillow there, making Train wonder if his friend was hinting subtly at something.

The window was clear as day, the sun's rays emitting their brilliant warmth into the room and the lock was fixed. His excess papers were organized neatly in a box next to his dresser, pens and pencils sitting in a brightly colored, circular case. Next to them was a thin vase with three roses in it., all of them in full bloom. There were small candles throughout the room, giving an entirely new feel to his home.

Once Train felt Creed's lips brush against his neck he was brought back to the moment. Carefully, he removed his friend's hands from his neck, pushing him away enough that he felt comfortable, but not too much to hurt the boy's feelings. He knew he was probably still pretty fragile, so Train needed to be careful.

"Creed… What…" Those were the only words Train's mouth permitted exit as his eyes scanned the room.

Creed giggled at his cat's reaction. He wasn't sure how his beloved would take this change, but based on how he ogled the room, it wasn't necessarily negative.

_It might not be positive either, but at least he doesn't look mad._

The silver teen took an unwilling step away from his cat, allowing the other boy to take the whole room in. After a few minutes, Creed delicately touched Train's hand and led him to the bathroom.

"I have a bath running for you as well. Your water pressure is **awful** so I'm sorry if it isn't as warm as you'd like, but it was the best I could do."

_It was barely even warm when it came out. I had to boil water on that tiny stove to get the temperature up._

Train blinked at his friend then towards the bathroom. He didn't have a door to the bathroom, so Creed had hung a curtain in the doorway. That way Train was allotted some privacy when he was in there.

The cat boy pushed the curtain aside as he entered and stopped at the doorway, his feet unable to move when his eyes took in the room. There were more small candles in here, flickering faintly in the dimly lit room. Rose petals glittered the floor surrounding the tub which had a glow of fog raising from the water's surface.

Train opened and closed his mouth a few times before he spoke. "Creed… I don't have a tub…"

It was true. Train's bathroom consisted of a toilet,a small sink, and shower head only. He had to shower on a mat on the floor so he wouldn't slip.

"Where did you?"

"Actually, I got lucky. I was looking for one all day when I happened across a neighbor of yours who was getting rid of theirs. She was hesitant at first, but when I offered her a few dollars she let me have it. I spent most of the day cleaning it, but I think you'll see how worth it was once you get a good soak!"

Train was still confused, but asked another question. "And… the roses?"

Creed laughed, "Have you never noticed the lovely rose bush just outside the building? There are so many! It's almost as beautiful as you are!"

The cat didn't seem to hear that last bit as he continued to stare in wonder. He then pointed to the candles, "And-"

"-You can get cheap candles literally anywhere, Train. You should always have some anyway, just in case you lose power. Enough questions, hurry up and get in the tub."

Creed took Train's backpack and coat, exiting the room to give his love privacy. "The tub is filled with Epsom salt. Your body will thank me." Creed couldn't help but wink at his cat before he left the room.

While Train soaked the silver teen busied himself with Train's backpack by organizing everything in it. He found today's notes and homework while he was at it. Creed decided to set that aside for a minute while he made dinner for his Train. It was still kind of early, but since his cat only had one burner, it was going to take a while.

Train could only stand in stunned silence when his partner left the room. He barely registered the wink or the fact Creed had taken his jacket and bag. He stood there for a few more minutes before his body's ached caused him to give in.

_Guess I may as well…_

The golden boy looked over his shoulder before he got undressed, just to make sure Creed wasn't peeking. His friend hadn't proven to be a Peeping Tom, but Train didn't think there was harm in being sure.

He tested the water with his hand first, making sure Creed hadn't made it too hot in his eagerness. When the warmth hit his finger tips, he felt a pleasant chill run up his arm. The feline teen immersed the rest of his hand, then up to his elbow. Feeling his muscles begin to relax, he decided it was safe and entered the rest of his body.

Slowly, Train dipped his toes in, merging his left leg with the water, then his right. Using his arms for support on the tub's edge, Train gradually lowered his aching bodying into the welcoming water. A pleasurable moan slipped his lips unknowingly, closing his eyes as the salt water did its job.

Train felt his body slowly unwind, each muscle softening one by one. His soreness was replaced with blissful relaxation, his haggard breaths turning into serene sighs. Golden irises closed lazily as Train let sleep overcome him.

* * *

Train jolted himself awake when his chin hit the water. The cat boy sat up against the tub, pulling his arms up and out of the now lukewarm water. He flexed his muscles slightly, feeling the ache they once held mostly gone. Train rubbed his eyes and winced at the contact.

_Ugh… my muscles feel better but the bruises are still there._

The brunette lifted his now relaxed body out of the water, grabbed the towel off the edge and wiped himself dry. Glancing at the toilet, Train noticed a fresh pair of clothes placed there. This irked the cat boy slightly knowing Creed must have entered while he was sleeping.

Shrugging his shoulders, Train slipped the loose fitting t-shirt on, stepping his legs into the grey sweat pants as well.

_Whatever, I'm sure Creed was respectful. He has been for the most part._

Train drained the tub and just as he was about to step into the next room, his nostrils filled with a wonderful smell. He peeked his head through the curtains, looking at the directions of the stove to see Creed humming peacefully to himself.

Train took a step in the room. "What smells so good?"

Beaming, Creed turned around to his love, happy to see his face now relaxed and calm.

"Dinner!" Was his simple response as he turned back to his cooking.

Train glanced out the window and saw the sun had already begun setting. "Man, it got late quick."

Creed felt goosebumps scatter along his body as his beloved took a spot standing next to him. He watched breathlessly as Train leaned across him to smell the dish, choking back a moan and controlling his hands as his cat smiled at the food.

Playfully, Creed pushed him aside and towards the bed. He sat his hero down and placed a pencil, paper, and their math book next to him. The silver teen then turned back to his culinary duties.

"I looked over the notes you took and I know what part of the unit we're at. Judging by your notes, I could tell you didn't quite understand. I can help with that."

The two friends sat there the rest of the night, joking, eating, and studying. Towards the end of the night, Train couldn't help but notice Creed was wearing the same clothes as the day before. Sadly, he poked his friend in the side.

"Don't you want to change?"

Creed blinked at his love then looked down at himself. He was normally a very clean person, but he had been so busy in the afternoon and happy with Train this evening that he hadn't even noticed how gross he was. The teen frowned at his uniform, now realizing how filthy it actually was.

"I **do** want to change, but…" He shuttered a bit, "All my clothes are **there** …"

Train sighed deeply and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a t-shirt and sweatpants, tossing them across the room at his partner.

"There. Now you at least have clean clothes. And now that I have a new tub, you can take a bath too. Not gonna lie, you're starting to stink."

The cat boy laughed at his friend's offended face. "Hey, I'm just telling you as a friend: Go take a bath. I'll get your clothes."

Creed froze when Train said that. "Train, no! You can't go back there!"

Train brushed his words aside, "No, **you** can't go back there. I don't have enough clothes for the both of us and it's not like we can afford a new wardrobe for you. You said she isn't usually there at night, so now is the best chance to grab some of your things. Besides…"

Train flexed his muscles and smiled. "I feel better than ever thanks to you. Friendship isn't about score, but if you really want to keep count, I owe you now."

Creed glowered at his love, something he had never done before. "I completely disagree that a salt bath makes up for you saving me from an assault! And while you may feel like you're back to yourself, I'm the one looking at you and I can tell you're not. You still have bruises everywhere and since we can't go to a hospital we have no way of knowing if there is any internal damage."

Train raised his eyebrows at Creed's tone of voice, never hearing the teen use such anger directed at him. "Creed…"

"No, Train!" Creed stood and faced his love, desperation clear in his voice as he grabbed his beloved's shoulders. "You're **not** going back there. We'll figure something out, but I will **not** allow you to put yourself in harm's way again!"

Train froze as he stared at his friend. Sighing, he dropped his head. "Fine. Just go take a bath, stinky."

Creed released a breath of relief and patted his cat's cheek lovingly. "Thank you. And I will."

The blue eyed boy walked to the bathroom without another word, happy his love had listened to him. Turning the water on he waited by clutching Train's clothes to his face. Inhaling deeply, he sighed happily, excited to be wearing Train's clothes tonight.

_Also looks like I'll be spending another night here… Wonder if we'll become roommates?_

Creed smiled at that thought and set the clothes aside. He turned the water off, stripped down and settled into the tub. Sighing as he slid down, he relaxed his body. The teen was still aching as well, but probably not as badly as his love. Creed's pain was more emotional than physical.

He splashed the water lazily, wishing it were a bit warmer, but not caring knowing that most of the warmth had gone to his beloved. The Silver Dollar sighed dreamily, thinking of his Train who was sitting in the next room. He allowed his thoughts to wonder, a smile gliding against his cheeks as his eyes shut slowly.

After what felt like hours, but had really only been a few minutes, Creed's eyes fluttered open. He stretched and yawned, feeling refreshed after his bath. The teen stood from the tub and dried himself off with the same towel Train had used. It was the only one his love owned, and Creed didn't mind sharing with his hero.

Once dry, Creed slipped on Train's shirt and pants. He gushed at the warmth and smell, wrapping his arms around himself as if he could still feel his love in them. They were a bit big one him, which wasn't a surprise considering Train's muscles made him larger than the silver teen.

Creed exited the bathroom and glanced around the room. He frowned when he didn't see Train anywhere.

"Train?" He questioned dumbly in the empty room, knowing very well if he didn't see Train, then Train was not there.

He paused when he saw a note on the dresser. A bad feeling began to form in the pit on his stomach. With shaking hands, Creed read the note then rushed out the door. Stopping quickly to grab something from Train's dresser, something Creed had purchased while out today to protect himself.

As he slammed the door shut behind him, Train's note fell to the floor. Though no one was there to read it, the contents of the note remained the same:

_Creed,_

_I'm so sorry for lying to you, but I can't let you suffer more than you have. I'll be back soon, don't worry._

_-Train_

* * *

As Train walked down the dimly lit streets he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He hated lying to his best friend, but he couldn't see him lose what little he had. Train knew what it felt like to lose everything… And when you didn't really have anything, losing something as simple as your clothes has to hurt.

_I'll be quick. In and out. Grab his clothes and leave._

The golden boy walked faster, almost jogging as he hurried down the streets, Creed's apartment keys in hand. His friend didn't live too far from him, but it was enough that Train felt the need to rush before Creed could decide to follow him.

The teen was alert, ready for anything. Neither he nor his partner lived in what would be considered "safe" neighborhoods, so he knew traveling at night wasn't always the best idea. However, for the most part Train was never really bothered when he walked home after a late shift. Being a man and being a bit larger than average man, he was for the most part ignored. Occasionally a homeless person would ask him for change, but that was it. The cat knew he was more privileged than most people in regards to safety.

Still, he didn't want to spend too much time outside, so he walked fast, recognizing some landmarks and knowing he was close. He turned the corner that led to Creed's apartment building and sped up a bit more. His ears perked when he approached an alley, a noise alerting him someone was nearby. Stopping abruptly, the teen changed his stance into a fighting position. A voice entered his ears, one that had etched in his brain after the previous night's events.

"I see you came back…"

The voice was anything but friendly. It held perversion mixed with anger and hate. Train felt dirty and used while he spoke, holding a shutter in as the man stepped out of the darkness of the alley and into the light of the street. While he looked exactly the same as the previous night, Train noticed one thing was different: His smirk was gone and a nasty scar sliced his rough cheek.

_Breathe, Train. He's just a bully. Treat him like you would a bully._

Train smiled cheekily, not letting his guard down, "That's quite a wound you're sportin' there. What happened? Get into a tussle with a cat?"

Izo growled noticeably at the teen, taking another step towards him. "Shut your damn mouth, brat. Where's the boy?"

"Boy? What boy?" Train played dumb, knowing all too well who the man was referring to.

Another step forward, another growl. "You know damn well who I mean, asshole! I paid a **lot** of money for that kid! I'll be damned if some thug like you is going to make me waste my hard earned money."

The cat laughed at Izo, remaining strong in his stance, tightening his head around Creed's keys. "Thug? Well, that's new. I'll have you know I'm an upstanding citizen of this fair city! And I find it hard to believe your money is hard earned."

Izo stopped just in front of the teen, flames shooting from his eyes down at the boy. He leaned forward, inspecting the cat's eye and let out a dark, demented chuckle. "I see you've also got a battle wound…" His cold eyes scanned the rest of Train's face. "More than one it seems. I sure do hope that's from me. I'd hate to think you were cheating on me…"

Train tried to give him the boldest smile he could muster, but took a step back despite himself. "Oh, my beaten face is only for you. Although, you may have some competition with a moose at my school."

The older man closed the distance again, snarling as he spoke. "Guess you just have a really punchable face."

Train mocked his snarl with one of his own. "Thanks, I try hard." He tried to move past the man, still keeping his friend at home in mind. "Now, if you'll **excuse** me, I need to get going."

The cat was stopped by a large hand against his chest, pushing him back slightly so they were face to face once more. "Where are you going?"

Train glared at the hand, then the man attached to it. "What's it to ya?"

Seeing the older man wasn't moving, Train further explained himself. "Got a hot date." Again, he tried to move and again, he was stopped by a large hand. "What? Jealous?"

Scowl never leaving his face, Izo growled at the teen. "Your date wouldn't happen to be with **my** property, would it?"

The golden boy almost barked his response, angry beyond belief this monster was talking about his best friend that way. "You **don't** own him."

Izo laughed and placed his hand on Train's shoulder threateningly, "He is until I've had my way with him."

That set Train over the edge. The teen punched the older man square in the jaw, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm at the contact. Izo barely moved backwards, clutching his face with one hand, his other hand remaining on Train's shoulder.

Izo smirked as if he was waiting for Train to pull the first punch. Removing his hand from his face, he gripped the boy's other shoulder and lifted him in the air. Effortlessly, he carried the cat into the alley he had come from, Train kicking and screaming as he did so.

Once in the alley, the older man slammed Train's body against the wall, his head colliding violently with concrete. Before Train could react, Izo slammed him against the wall three more times, blurring the golden boy's vision.

Train did his best to gather his senses. He could taste blood pooling in his mouth as the last crash caused him to bite his tongue. The teen was able to focus enough to find Izo's face and spat directly in his eye.

Izo dropped the boy to the ground as he mopped the silvia from his iris. Train attempted to crawl away but was stopped by a heavy boot to his back. The cat felt his face smash into the pavement, his already sore eye throbbing painfully, blood beginning to slip between his teeth.

He felt coarse fingers grip his hair tight, pulling his head backwards while leaving the boot where it was. A harsh whisper slithered into his ear, making his already aching head pound more. "I'll make you pay for this scar. **No one** deforms me and gets away with it!"

With that, Izo removed his foot and yanked Train up by the hair. The teen struggled as best he could. Kicking, punching, screaming curses into the night. He tried to spit at his assailant again, but found he had swallowed too much gravel to muster enough silvia.

Izo laughed at his pain and slammed him against the wall again. This time, he held the boy by his throat, slowly applying pressure. Train clawed desperately at his hand, vision beginning to waver. He was able to get a nice scratch on the man's wrist which earned him a hard smack against his face.

"What did I say about leaving marks?" He said coolly, slapping him with the back of his hand again.

Train glared at the man, unable to speak but giving him the dirtiest look he could. This was rewarded with a swift punch to the stomach, followed by another slap in the face all while his other hand never left his throat. He applied enough pressure that Train couldn't speak, but not so much he'd pass out and miss the beating he was about to receive.

The golden boy felt dizzy, but refused to give up the fight. He struggled as hard as he could against the man to no avail. Each blow hurt more than the other as he felt himself losing consciousness. Despite Creed's bath his body hadn't fully healed and he was still pretty weak. This man was also three times the size of him. Physics alone made it impossible for Train to win.

_Damnit, why did I start this fight?! I couldn't take him on a normal day, what made me think I could take him now?_

But the first blow was just an impulse. He had lost it when the man said Creed was his property. His friend didn't belong to anyone, let alone this bastard.

He struggled more thinking of Creed, trying to find strength in him to make sure he could see another day with his friend. Train didn't know what Creed would do without him. The Silver Dollar had come to rely on him so much that if Train never came home…

_He might lose it completely…_

That thought gave Train just enough strength to claw at the hand holding him one more time before falling limp and lifeless. His body was unable to fight anymore.

Just as he began to close consciousness, he heard a high pitched scream enter the alley. Even if Train was able to move his head, his vision had become so blurred he wouldn't have known what was happening. All he knew was the grip on him had lessened. He was still pinned against the wall, but at least he could breathe now.

Taking several breaths of precious air, Train tried to focus his eyes. Another high pitched scream followed by a loud growl echoed in the alley and the hand fully released Train. His back slid against the concrete, scratching and drawing more blood as he fell to the ground. The cat coughed and sputtered, rubbing his throat as he tried to get his bearings.

He looked to the side and saw a frantic Creed standing over Izo, bloody knife in hand. The older man was clutching at his side, red ooze staining his calloused fingers.

Creed's eyes were that of a madman as he stared down at Izo, huffing savagely as he grasped the knife tightly. Train's shirt that he was wearing was splattered with blood but Creed didn't care. When he saw Izo holding his cat against the wall like that he lost all his senses. Anything that looked remotely like reason had left his mind.

The silver boy turned hysterically to his love, rushing to his side without a second thought. He looked the boy up and down, tears of anger and sadness rushing to his eyes.

"Train! Oh my God, we need to get you to a hospital!"

Train looked between Creed and Izo and tried to stand quickly. He wasn't sure how long the older man would be down for, but Creed was right. They needed to get out of there before he got up.

As he stood, Creed helped him, never lessening his hold on his beloved. As Creed gazed at Train, giving him that lovesick, sad look he always did, Train cupped his cheek gently, smiling with sincere gratefulness.

"Thank you…"

Before Creed had a chance to enjoy the moment he was grabbed from behind and thrown across the alley. He crashed into some trash cans at the far end, curling into a ball to hopefully absorb some of the blow.

Train lunged for his friend but was thrown in the opposite direction, outside the alley. He landed with a hard thud and banged his head against the sidewalk. He groaned and tried to stand, his whole body shaking as he tried to steady himself.

In the alley, another situation was unfolding. Despite his stab wounds, Izo was up and coming for Creed. The first slice got him in the shoulder, a deep gash dripping blood and staining his shirt. The second one got him in the side, but since Izo was ready for it, it wasn't deep enough to stop him permanently.

Izo's smirk turned demented as he watch Creed crawl his way out of the pile of cans, panic replacing the joy Train's words had brought on. Izo didn't give the boy a chance to do anything. He was on him in a minute, gripping him by the shoulders and pinning him against the wall.

"There he is…" His voice was sick with perversion, a deviant gleam in his eyes. "Now it's time to pay what you owe me."

Izo ripped Train's t-shirt off of him, Creed screaming as loud as he could as he did so. The silver teen was slapped across the face with each scream, but Creed refused to give in. He kicked and punched, fingers bleeding against the blade of the knife he refused to let go of, even when he was thrown.

The predator slammed him against the wall as hard as he could several times until Creed stopped moving. Even then, Izo wasn't satisfied and slapped him once more.

"If you would stop struggling this wouldn't be so difficult!"

Seeing Creed had stopped struggling as much he moved his mouth against his neck, biting deep enough to draw blood. The teen screamed in pain as Izo slammed him against the wall again. Creed couldn't see straight anymore, starting to think his head had been cracked in two.

Izo's hands began to rip at the pants Train had given him. Tears streamed down Creed's face as he tried to struggle, his body unable to move. He hardly registered the hand as it snaked into his pants, searching for an area no one had ever touched before. He shut his eyes and left his body, letting darkness take him over.

The man's body jostled slightly and his attention was directed elsewhere. Creed was able to peak his eyes open enough to see his beloved slamming his whole body against Izo. Train was still weak, but he managed to gather enough strength to launch everything he had the attacker.

"T-Train…" Creed gasped, reaching for his cat.

Izo growled and dropped the boy, his shirt tattered against his body, pants barely hanging to his hips. The older man turned his body towards Train, demonic eyes attempting to set him on fire. He slapped Train hard with the back of his hand, sending him several feet away.

That wasn't enough for Izo as he leered over the teen, kicking him in the side. He then placed his heavy boot on Train's neck, choking him with his heel.

"I've had **enough** of you, boy!" He applied more pressure and Creed watched his cat struggle. His vision was still blurry, but he could see enough to know his beloved was in trouble.

He clutched the knife in his hand, repositioning it so the blade was no longer digging into his skin. Without a second thought, Creed launched himself at the older man, stabbing him in the back several times.

Izo screamed and clawed at the teen on his back, grabbing him and throwing him against the wall. Again, Creed's head bashed into the concrete, the silver teen unaware of the blood stain he left as he slid to the ground.

The older man turned to Creed in a rage and approached him. Just as he was about to grab the boy, Creed stabbed him one more him in the side, causing the man to stumble backwards, the knife staying inside Izo. Seeing his attacker finally fall to the ground, Creed shut his eyes, ready to let the darkness take him, unable to move anymore, praying for his cat's safety.

Distantly, he heard his cat call his name. Creed subconsciously reached towards the voice, begging for any feel of his love, needing his warmth, his comfort, his touch. He needed to know his hero was there and safe. Train was next to him in an instant, holding Creed against his chest, putting pressure on the back of his head where Creed was sure blood had been spewing.

Creed also heard sirens approaching, opening his eyes enough to see Train yelling for help. The look on his cat's face was frantic. The golden eyes Creed loved so much had turned red with tears. He watched dazely as his love motioned for someone to come over. Creed wasn't sure who, but whoever it was had removed him from his love's arms.

The silver teen tried to fight whoever it was, scared Izo had a hold of him again, angry at whoever had taken him away from his Train.

Creed clutched at the air in the direction he knew Train was, unable to see anything anymore, but needing his cat near him. He heard a voice he recognized as Train and felt his hero's hand grab his own, squeezing tightly, letting the silver teen know he was there.

Creed was lifted into the air slightly and on to what felt like a bed. He couldn't tell if the world around him was spinning, if he was rolling away, or both, but he didn't care. His cat didn't let go of his hand, making sure his strong hold never wavered.

The siren got louder and bright lights attacked his eyes making the pounding in his head worse. Train had briefly let go as he entered this new place and Creed began to panic again, clawing at the air for any feel of his beloved, tears beginning to roll down his face again.

Swifty, Train was back holding his hand again, saying soothing words Creed could not hear. All the silver teen could see of his cat was the outline. Regardless, his heart fluttered at the spiky hair, the golden blurs that shone with concern for him. Creed didn't need to see him to know he was there and rested his head against Train's hand. His cat placed his other hand on Creed's forehead, avoiding the back of his head at all costs.

Creed cooed as his beloved thumb caressed his forehead softly. The silver boy felt someone doing something else on the other side of him, poking him with a few things, taping something on to him, but he didn't care. He managed to form a smile on his beaten face as he looked in the direction of his love, unable to see him, but knowing he was there.

_He's safe… That's all that matters…_

"I love you, Train..."

Those were the last words he said before losing consciousness, a smile still planted on his face as he allowed darkness to take him.


	14. Strength, Courage, and Determination

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters.

* * *

** Strength, Courage, and Determination **

For Train, the whole night had been a blur. From the moment he saw Creed's blood on the back of his hand it was like his soul had escaped him, but his physical form went into overdrive. His body moved on its own when he saw the flashing lights. The teen didn't know where they had come from or who called them, but at that moment he didn't care. He needed to get Creed help… and fast.

While the cat boy could tell his friend wasn't fully conscious or fully away of what was happening, Creed still reached for Train. The Silver Dollar's words were mumbled and Train was pretty sure his partner didn't know what he was saying, but he kept asking if Train was okay.

The brunette remembered yelling at Creed he was fine and needed to worry about himself. He remembered being so mad at his best friend for still needing to know about his well being when he had been gushing blood at an alarming rate.

When the paramedics arrived and Train had to let go of Creed and he watched as his silver friend panicked. Without asking for permission, Train was beside him again, holding his hand and speaking reassuring words that the golden boy knew Creed didn't hear. That fact didn't appear to bother his friend because every time Train squeezed his hand, somehow Creed managed to smile and press his face against his strong digits.

That only encouraged Train to provide as much comfort to the boy as he could. If Train's presence is what was going to keep Creed alive, he would do whatever it took. The feline teen found himself rubbing Creed's forehead and cheek, squeezing his shoulder soothingly any time the silver boy moaned in pain. It worked every time. Creed would settle, whisper loving words to Train, and smile contentedly.

The most horrifying part of the night was when Creed told him he loved him while they were off to the hospital. As soon as his friend had said those adoring words, Creed began to code. In an instant, the paramedics pushed Train aside and worked on the silver teen. Train was being held in the corner, panicking as he thought those were going to be his best friend's words.

The whole ordeal had probably only been about ten seconds, but to Train it felt like an aeon. Relief washed over him as soon as he saw Creed's thin limb clutch in the air again. The golden teen was next to him within seconds again, once again speaking calming words, squeezing his comfortingly.

The whole ride paramedics were patching Train up as well. The golden teen never stopped them, but also didn't help them. If taking care of him meant taking him away from Creed, Train would refuse. Whatever they needed to do to him they could do while he held on to his partner.

When they reached the hospital, Creed was unwillingly pried away from his cat. Train did his best to hold on and stay by his side, but he was pulled in a different direction so he could be checked on. The cat boy barely registered anything they said to him. Something about bruised ribs, sprained ankle, dislocated shoulder, and broken arm. All things that didn't matter to Train and weren't life threatening.

He asked many times about Creed, but they didn't say much. They kept telling him the silver teen was being worked on and they'd update him as soon as they knew more. In the meantime, Train sat on his bed in his hospital room, one hand yanking violently at his chocolate locks, the other one in a cast resting on his lap. Train's leg shook intensely and uncontrollably, his mind racing with worse case scenario thoughts.

Nurses would come in occasionally to check on him or try to calm him down. Every time he asked about Creed and didn't receive a response, Train would wave them out of the room. He didn't care what they had to say about his condition or what they thought he needed to do. The cat boy wasn't going to relax, sleep, or eat until he knew his best friend was okay.

A knock at the door perked Train's ears slightly, but he didn't move. Slowly, the door opened and a young nurse peaked his head in. The man couldn't have been much older than Train, and he was certainly a lot smaller. His hair was shoulder length and light blonde, green eyes scanning Train's figure with interest. Seeing the teen didn't make a motion for him to enter, he spoke.

"Mr. Heartnet? There's a detective here to speak to you…"

Train raised his eyes just enough to see the nurse, dull golden orbs barely registering anyone was there. The nurse in turn blushed violently and covered his face, peeking at Train between his fingers. The golden teen ignored these gestures and rested his hands back into his face.

Still looking at Train only through his fingers the nurse frowned. Seeing that the golden eyed teen wasn't going to acknowledge his existence, the nurse straightened up and took a quick breath of air, regaining his composure. Stepping inside the room, he then opened the door fully for the detective and motioned for her to enter.

The detective was a tall red headed woman, hair chopped short, bangs framing her brown eyes as she watched Train seriously. Despite that, there was a hint of worry hidden in their dark depths. Looking at Train, she couldn't help but think he was too young to have experienced something this traumatic.

She motioned for the nurse to leave. He complied, but not before stealing one last curious glance at Train, lingering for just a second before closing the door behind him.

She took a step into the room, removing her hat as she did so. "Mr. Heartnet? I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay."

She watched as the teen let his eyes drift to her briefly before settling on the door behind her, as if he was waiting for someone else to walk in. Something in his golden eyes tugged at her heart and she frowned, taking a step towards the boy. There was something about him that looked so familiar. She racked her brain trying to place where she knew those eyes from, but try as she might, she just couldn't remember.

_Where do I know him from? His name rings a bell as well. How could I forget such a unique name and particular eyes?_

The red head shook herself and re-focused. She'd worry about that later, what mattered now was helping this kid.

She grabbed his shoulder reassuringly, shaking him only slightly to get his attention on her.

"Son, I know this is hard… But if you want to help your friend and lock up the man that did this to him, I need you to focus and answer my questions."

At the mention of his friend, the teen looked at her frightfully. Suddenly, the look changed to determination and he nodded sternly. Train straightened up and took a deep breath, as if he needed to get ready. The detective stared at the teen for a second, once again trying to place that look. She now was positive she knew this boy somewhere, but still couldn't place where.

"My name is Charlotte Miller. You can call me Charlotte, Miller, or Officer Miller. Whatever you are most comfortable with." At the teen's nod she pulled out her pen and a notepad. She was assigned to this case specifically due to her relationship with children. The detective had a way of connecting to younger people, so her cases revolved mostly around them.

_However, he isn't really a kid. While he may be in high school, that look in his eyes is not that of a child. I have a feeling if I treat him like one, we won't get anywhere._

She smiled one more time and clicked her pen.

"Okay, how old are you?"

Train paused and thought for a second as if he had forgotten. "Eighteen."

She wrote it down. "Where are your parents?"

The teen froze and stared at her like a deer in headlights. She could tell the question had triggered something and made a mental note to yell at her captain for not giving her more information before asking her to question the boy.

His gaze lowering, Train responded sullenly. "... Dead. They were murdered when I was a kid."

Charlotte halted at that, her brain suddenly making a connection. It was her first year and she was sitting in a courtroom, staring at a little, golden eyed boy sobbing on the stand. She remembered crying with him, unable to prevent herself from feeling awful for the little kid shaking with pain. Watching him tell the story of how he watched his parents murdered in a home invasion was more than she could bear.

" _And what happened next?"_

_The small brunette wiped his tears and sniffled, eyes staying focused on his hands. "My mom told me to hide in the closet and let dad handle whoever was in the house… She told me not to make a sound no matter what and not to leave the closet no matter what. To wait for her or dad to come and get me..."_

_The lawyer nodded, voice calm as he spoke to the kid in front of him. "And did you listen?"_

_Train nodded. "Yes. She looked so scared I didn't think I had a choice…" A sob escaped his control as he spoke._

" _What did you hear at that point?"_

_The small brunette was silent for a minute, then bawled his hands into fists, shaking slightly. "I… heard a loud bang. I almost screamed but I stopped myself. I put my hands over my mouth to stop myself. Mom told me not to make a sound no matter what. Then… I heard a second bang…"_

_Another pause as the boy shook more, tears staining his pale cheeks. "But… I didn't make a sound! I didn't, I swear! I waited and waited and waited, but they never came to get me. I listened, I promise I did! I didn't understand why they never came to get me!"_

_The lawyer patted his arm gently, trying to get the child back to the present. "I know this is hard, Train, but we need to know what happened next. Keep going…"_

_Train nodded and eyed the man across the bench, gaze quickly lowering back to his hands. "I peaked out the door to see what was taking so long. I… I saw my mom on the ground. S-she… wasn't… moving… Then I saw my d-dad next to her… H-he… h-he also wasn't moving… "_

_The courtroom was silent as they listened to the boy cry, his sobs echoing painful against the tall walls. After a few minutes the boy stopped, his eyes turned fiercely on his parents' murderer. The man was sitting at the table across from the bench that held the golden child, hands clasped together and pressed against his lips._

_As Train spoke, his eyes remained on the man, an intensity that burned so brightly, Charlotte thought he was going to set the man on fire. When he spoke, it was as if the innocent child was gone, replaced with a bitterness and hate usually saved for the most jaded members of society. However, the determination that flared in those golden irises etched into Charlotte's mind forever._

" _Then… I saw_ _ **him…**_ " _The boy pointed at the man sitting at the table, smirking at the child that spoke with such veracity. "_ _ **He**_ _was leaning over my parents with a gun in his hands. He had blood on his clothes and was…_ _ **smiling**_ …"

_Train choked just a bit, but caught himself quickly, eyes still hot with rage. "_ _ **He killed my parents!**_ _He did it! I saw him do it! HE'S A MONSTER AND SHOULD BE LOCKED AWAY FOREVER!"_

_The man slammed his hands on the table, shouting at the top of his lungs the boy. "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE!"_

_The courtroom erupted in chaos as the murderer approached the bend, fists clenched. Officers surrounded him quickly, tackling him to the ground before he could reach the child. Train was escorted from the courtroom for his own safety. However, the child's face never flattered even once. His eyes look sad, but proud. As if he had completed an unachievable goal._

_In that moment, Charlotte knew she had picked the correct career. Seeing a child that young who had just lost everything, who had just gone through more than most adults ever will in their entire lives fight so hard and with such determination… gave her the fight and drive she needed to make it in this job._

Charlotte stared at the young man before her. No longer a little kid, but that determined look as strong as ever in his eyes.

"... Zagine Axeloake…"

Train looked at her as she smiled. "Thanks to your testimony, we were able to lock him up for good. If it wasn't for your strength and courage, he might have gotten away with it. There was no evidence left on sight and he was gone before the police got there… If you didn't get him to burst in that courtroom… he might have been set free and repeat his crimes on someone else."

The detective smiled warmly at the teen who showed so many emotions in those unique orbs: Sadness, pride, fear, and of course, determination.

She patted his arm again, "Now… let's use that same strength to get your friend's monster. We won't let him get away with this."

Charlotte was happy to see the young man smile, knowing that was what he needed to bring him back to life.

Feeling Train's determination, the detective clicked her pen again.

"Now… Let's get to work!"

* * *

Train felt as though he had been questioned for hours when it was only about forty five minutes. He had instant and strong answers for everything, so it didn't take very long. Train felt comfortable with his woman, especially after he found out she knew about his parents' case. The teen told her everything he knew about Izo, including every detail he could about Creed's mother as well, and the events that unfolded just two days ago.

Charlotte stood and smiled proudly at the teen. Another pat on the shoulder as she spoke, "You did good, Train. We have an eye witness account that corroborated pretty much all of this. They arrived after they heard screams and managed to call the police. There was also a security camera across the alley. We pulled it and will be studying it as well. Assuming your friend's statement matches your and our witness', we'll put him away in no time."

Train's eyes widened at the mention of his friend. "Creed… Is he awake?! Is he okay?!"

The detective frowned, hand remaining on his shoulder. "I… don't know yet. But, if he's anything like you, I know he'll be fine."

She squeezed him slightly as his eye fell to the ground, worry dancing mournfully in his eyes. Before she could give him more reassuring words, the door opened again. The nurse from early stepped in the room, smiling charmingly at Train. Following quickly behind him was a doctor the cat boy had not seen before. His look was more serious, barely looking at Train as he flipped through the pages in a chart.

His hair was short and pitch black with matching eyes that seemed soulless. His skin was quite pale and his glasses were small and foggy. The aurora he gave off left Train with a creepy feeling, making the teen wonder how he had become a doctor in the first place.

_Or how the hell he can see through those glasses. They're so small, what purpose do they even have?_

Train jumped when the man eyed him interestingly, making the cat boy squirm slightly under the gaze. It was as if he was trying to read the boy's thoughts through his gaze and Train did not like it one bit.

The doctor glanced down at the small nurse who was still smiling cutely at Train and smacked him in the shoulders. "Get your head out of your ass and focus. Now's not the time for puppy dog eyes."

The nurse blushed and looked away, trying to regain his professionalism. The older man turned to Train, still permitting no comfort to leave his gaze.

"Mr. Heartnet? I'm doctor Kanzaki Kouske and I have some good news." Despite this sentence, his voice was lifeless, as if he didn't really care too much about delivering the news, but was told he had to. "It was touch and go for a bit, but we were able to stabilize your friend, Creed Diskence. He's resting just down the hall." The doctor flipped through a few more pages and frowned. "Now, in your case, we need you to rest and-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the teen was up and running out of the room. The nurse and detective both tried to stop him, but the cat boy had set a goal that he wouldn't let anyone prevent him from achieving.

Ignoring the calls to come back, Train ran down the hall, scanning each room he passed, looking for his friend. He passed one room, then stopped suddenly, tripping over his own feet as he turned around quickly. He saw Creed laying on the bed peacefully, connected to several machines and Train could hear his heart monitor beep quietly in the background.

Train rushed to his friend's side and gripped his hand tightly.

"Creed? Can you hear me? I'm here!"

Train's only response was the beeping of the monitor. His anxiety rose as he watched Creed's face. He had tubes sticking up his nose and his hair was a tangled mess. His skin was paler than usual and he was covered in scars.

The feline teen reached out to try and untangle his partner's hair, but his fingers became stuck in the knots. He frowned and decided to rest that hand on Creed's shoulder, squeezing it gently, hoping to get a response.

"Get back to bed!"

The harsh whisper came from a frantic doctor, the same doctor who had given him the good news. Train ignored the man in favor of his friend, searching his face for any signs of life.

A light pull at his shoulder brought his attention back to the detective. "Train… I know you're worried, but you need to listen to the doctor. Creed will be fine, you need to rest."

Train shrugged his shoulder out of the woman's grasp. "No. I'm not leaving him. He needs me."

The doctor sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples. It had been a **long** night. "Son, he doesn't even know you're here. He's alive, but he's been unresponsive. There's nothing you can say or do that will wake him-"

He cut off his own sentence as the nurse yelped and he watched the boy gently place his lips against the silver boy's cheek. His mouth opened and his eyes widened as he watched the corner of Creed's lips raise into a smile. The blue eyed teen turned his head in Train's direction, eyes still closed as he spoke.

"Train…"

The room was silent as Train sighed in relief, his uninjured hand still holding tightly onto Creed's, his broken arm resting so it was just above the silver teens head, patting him tenderly.

The golden teen smiled at the doctor, "No offense, Doc, but you don't know him like I do." He then looked at the detective, who was also shocked at Creed's immediate response to Train's affection, then looked back at the doctor. "Like I said, he **needs** me. If you want him to wake up, you need to let me stay here. I promise you'll have more immediate reactions if I'm here."

Seeing Creed's face press against Train's broken hand the doctor sighed again. "Ugh, this is why I don't have kids…" He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and stepped out of the room. "Fine. But you still need to rest too. I'll have nurses set up a bed for you in here. Just make sure you are **in it**."

Train nodded at the doctor, ignoring the cold tone he had used for what was supposed to be a caring sentiment. The nurse followed quickly after glancing between Train and Creed, frowning sadly.

As they left the room, Train turned his attention back to his friend. Creed was pushing his cheek earnestly towards Train, subconsciously begging for another kiss. The cat boy rubbed his cheek delicately, hoping that would be enough for his partner. He sighed in relief as Creed purred slightly at the touch, happy he didn't need to kiss him again to get a reaction.

Feeling the detective's curious eyes on him, Train chuckled quietly. "It's a long story, Ms. Miller. But please, trust me that you'll get Creed's statement." Train smiled as his friend mumbled happily in his sleep. "I'll make sure he comes back to us."

That pleased Charlotte and she nodded. The woman stood and smiled down at Train. "That's what I want to hear. With you two working together, we'll get this bastard." With that, she exited the room, purpose in her steps.

Train watched the woman go then looked at Creed again. His friend had been mumbling something under his breath that the cat boy couldn't make out. He leaned closer to hear and laughed out loud.

"Train? Train, I love you… I love you so much… I love you, Train…"

Creed repeated those words over and over again as he slept. The golden teen smiled and moved his broken arm slightly so that his hand rested gently on Creed's forehead, his fingers doing their best to caress the sweaty skin. His other hand never let go of Creed's who, in response, squeezed back.

Unable to keep his eyes open anymore, Train rested his head on the pillow next to Creed's. The exhaustion of the night's event finally reached his body and the teen could no longer keep himself awake. Now that he knew Creed was okay, he decided it was safe to sleep.

The last thing he saw before falling asleep completely was his friend's face moving close to his own. Creed pressed forward their foreheads together and Train could feel Creed's breath against his face.

* * *

" _Creed, I can't believe what you did for me…"_

_The silver teen smiled at his beloved, caressing his cheek lovingly. "I told you, I would do_ _ **anything**_ _for you. I love you…"_

_A silent pause, then Train smiled. "I love you too, Creed."_

_Creed gasped as his love placed his lips against his own. Smiling, Creed quickly wrapped his arms around his cat's neck, pulling their bodies closer together, deepening the kiss. The silver teen was delighted to feel Train's tongue against his own, his love's strong arms wrapped around his thin waist._

_After a few minutes Train pulled away. Creed rested his head on Train's shoulder, breathing in his beloved earnestly, wanting more from the teen in his arms. He gently traced kisses against Train's neck, goosebumps rising on Creed's pale skin when he heard his hero's delightful sigh._

" _I'll always be here for you Train…"_

Blue eyes opened slowly, hand being thrown to his face quickly as a bright light shone unfavorably at him. He squinted at the offending object which pulled away suddenly, leaving Creed blinded.

_Damnit… it was a dream…_

Creed let his head fall to the pillow, rubbing his face, ignoring the pain the gesture created.

"Creed! You're awake!"

The silver teen recognized that voice and turned towards his love. Train had stumbled to his side hastily and wrapped his arms around his friend's neck. Creed immediately latched on to his love, not noticing the cast wrapped around Train's arm or the wires he was still hooked to. The Silver Dollar grunted when another pair of arms broke them apart, ending the hug far too soon for Creed's taste.

Blinking a few times to focus his vision he glared at the nurse who separated them. Said nurse purposefully ignored the teen's evil eye and turned his attention to the machine Creed was hooked up to.

"Mr. Heartnet, please don't rile him up so soon after he's woken up. His body can't handle so much stimulus right now." There was a tinge of playfulness in the young man's voice which ate at Creed's nerves.

Despite the nurses warnings, Train grabbed his friend's arm, smiling brightly into Creed's longing, blue ones. Creed heard his heart monitor beep faster, earning a curse from the nurse who turned back to Train.

"Mr. Heartnet, please!"

Train retreated his arm and looked apologetically at the nurse who blushed deeply in return. Creed scowled at the young nurse and heard the beeping slow back down, earning a successful sigh from the nurse.

"Sorry, Oliver. It's just a relief to see him awake again." Train stated happily, smiling apologetically at the nurse.

The nurse Creed now knew as Oliver smiled flirtatiously at Train which caused the silver teen to grunt angrily. The young man glanced at Creed, his smile changing to one of concern.

"I'm sure it is, but please keep him calm. I can't imagine I wouldn't get excited at a cute guy hugging me either." The nurse walked towards the door. "I'll go get the doctor to look at you, Mr. Diskence." With that, he left the room, Creed's charts in tow.

As soon as the nurse left the room, Train embraced his friend again, Creed not wasting a second to return the gesture. The silver teen pressed his face against his beloved's neck, breathing in deeply, letting his skin soak in his cat.

"I… I can't believe what you did for me…"

Creed's heart skipped a beat at Train's words. They were the first words his love spoke in his dream.

_Maybe I can make the dream a reality…_

He squeezed his love tighter, pressing his face further into Train's neck. "I told you, I would do **anything** for you… I love you."

Train pulled away and Creed put his hand against his cat's cheek. Creed leaned forward slightly, preparing himself for a kiss when Train pulled him back into a hug. His beloved laughed and rubbed Creed's back. "I know… you wouldn't shut up about it."

Creed frowned at his cat, but wrapped his arms around his hero nonetheless. _Guess a kiss is still asking for a bit much…_

"What are you talking about?" Creed questioned curiously.

Train pulled back and patted Creed on the head, leaving his hand resting on his friend's arm. "It's all you talked about while you were out. I'm not gonna lie, it was the only thing that gave the doctors hope you would wake up. That's why they brought a bed in here for me."

Creed followed his savior's thumb to the bed next to his own. It didn't look very slept in which prompted more curiosity from Creed.

"Since when are you so neat and tidy, Train?"

His cat laughed and leaned back in the chair he sat in. "Well… I haven't really been sleeping in it. Every time I stepped away you would whimper so sadly I couldn't help but come back. For the most part I slept here." Train gestured to the chair he sat in.

Creed frowned at his cat and the chair. There was a blanket and pillow resting against the back, showing Creed that his beloved was not making it up. He eyed his cat sadly, "Train… you shouldn't have…"

Train waved his words away and laughed. "It's no problem, Silver Dollar. It's actually more comfortable than my bed at home." He smiled at Creed, lighting the silver boy' heart on fire. "Besides, now **I** owe **you**. I just wanted you to be comfortable."

Creed sighed happily, bringing Train's hand to his face. He pressed his cheek possessively to his cat's hand, smiling warmly at his beloved.

"Thank you, Train."

Train returned the smile and allowed Creed to nuzzle his hand. It was then Creed noticed the cast on Train's arm and the bruises on his face. The silver teen frantically reached both his hands to his love's face and arm, eyes wild with worry.

"Train, you're hurt!"

Train rolled his eyes at his distressed friend. "I'm fine, Creed. I had a few bruised ribs, a sprained ankle and obviously this-" Train gestured to his broken arm, "-But after a few days of rest, I'm pretty much back to normal." He flexed his good arm, knowing that would redirect his partner's attention.

However, much to Train's shock it did not. Creed was now obsessing over his broken arm, fingering the cast tenderly. "Oh, Train…" He said sadly, earning a tired groan from Train.

The feline teen pulled his broken arm away, grabbing Creed's chin and forcing his partner to look him in the eyes. "Creed. Stop it. I'm fine, really. I actually could go home today, but I knew you would only slip if I wasn't here.'

Creed gazed breathlessly into his cat's eyes. He smiled passionately at his beloved, retreating his hand from Train's broken limb and resting it lovingly on his chocolate locks. He ran his fingers gracefully against them, feeling the soft tresses waltz playfully against his digits.

The silver teen then placed his hand on the back of Train's head, pulling him closer until the golden teen's forehead was against his fair lips. He kissed his beloved's warm skin fondly, allowing his lips to linger for a few minutes, thrilled his cat hadn't pushed him away yet.

When he did pull away, he rested his head against Train's neck, lips brushing lightly against his collarbone as he spoke, "What time is it?"

Train allowed his friend to indulge himself, knowing the more contact he had with Train, the quicker his friend would recover. _As long as I still set boundaries, this is okay. Although, those boundaries may look different for a little while…_

Train smiled and patted his friend's hair, glancing at the clock on the wall. "It's 1:34."

Creed pulled back and eyed his cat worriedly. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Train blinked at his friend, then laughed. "Are you seriously worrying about me being at school right now?" He laughed harder, ignoring his friend's concerned eyes. "Creed, it's Saturday. Meaning the weekend? Meaning no school?"

It was Creed's turn to blink at Train. "Wh-what?" He turned to look at the clock as well, concern being replaced with panic. "I've been out for three days?!"

Train calmed his partner by grabbing his shoulders and turning him back to his golden eyes. "Creed, you're fine. I've spoken to the school and you've been approved for an extended absence. They gave me a few days as well."

The cat boy paused, squeezing his friend's shoulders, readying him for the next bit of news. "However… the doctors don't think you'll be recovered in time for graduation. You… took a pretty hard hit to the back of your head… You lost a lot of blood and they were worried you might not wake up."

Creed noticed a single tear leave his beloved's beautiful golden iris which he wiped away instinctively. With a deep breath, Train continued, "Graduation is just over a month away… The doctors said because of the head wound, they don't expect it'll be safe for you to go back this year… Maybe not ever walk for the ceremony..."

Creed watched as his cat choked back a sob, not making eye contact with his friend. The silver boy's heart broke at Train's next sentence. "It's all my fault…"

"Train… it's not your fault." At his cat's startled reaction, Creed continued, hand resting reassuringly against his love's cheek. "It's not your fault I love you so much. We're here because you were trying to help me, and because I love you **so** so so much I followed you and jumped in front of a truck for you."

Creed smiled at his beloved, now resting both hands on either side of Train's face. "I told you… I would do **anything** for you. Just seeing you sitting here, seeing your beautiful eyes shining so brightly at me, feeling your warmth and care… is everything to me." Again, Creed reached out and embraced his love, nestling his face against Train's tepid cheek. "You're **everything** to me…"

Again, Train allowed his friend to embrace him, smiling at Creed's loving words and sighing. "I know, Creed… I know…"

Another deep breath and Train continued his earlier thoughts. A lot had happened in the last couple days, and it was the cat boy's job to let Creed know.

"So, as I was saying, it doesn't look like you'll make it back to school by the end of the year. However, after speaking to Hotaka-san, it doesn't sound like it'll affect anything negatively. I'll bring you any finals we have that you can complete here and, as long as your grades for those tests are good, you'll still be graduating top of the class with your pick of the litter for colleges!"

Train smiled proudly at his friend, rubbing his head the way he knew Creed liked. "Also, Tanaka-san is allowing us to hand in an essay instead of our original plan, which we actually already have mostly done. She is completely confident that we'll be receiving an A on the assignment and therefore the class."

The two exchanged a smile, then a high five. Train laughed at his friend, then gave him a very light, very calm noogie. "You did it, Silver Dollar! You got me through my last year at that hell hole!"

Creed laughed and pressed himself against Train's chest. "No, **we** did it. I may have helped you study, but you are the one that made it happen. You could have given up, but you never did. I'm so proud of you."

The silver teen nuzzled his head into his love's chest, gripping his shirt tightly as he fell into a dreamlike state. He was beyond happy to know his beloved would be able to graduate, and it was thanks to his help.

Their tender moment was cut short by someone at the door who had cleared their throat. Creed glared at the offender who dared interrupt his time with Train. He clung to his cat harder, as if the man standing there was going to take his beloved away from him.

The doctor stepped in the room, rolling his eyes as he did so. "I don't know what's going on in here, but you need to calm down, Mr. Diskence. Your monitor has been going off randomly, which is scaring the nursing staff."

Train laughed at the doctor and lifted his arms remorsefully in the air. "That's my bad, Doc. I sometimes forget how excitable he gets around me."

Creed wept at his love when Train removed his arms, but smiled when Train placed them back where they previously were. The silver boy snuggled back against his beloved's chest, eyes remaining on the doctor.

The older man walked over to the monitors, taking notes as he eyed the screens carefully. "I had a feeling it had something to do with you, Mr. Heartnet, so I didn't panic. Figured I'd give your two a minute to reunite."

He smirked as he heard Train sputter quietly and Creed swoon noticeably. The doctor had learned to have fun with the brunette over the last few days about his relationship with the injured boy. Though Train had said they were friends, the doctor could tell there was something more there. Even if it was just from Creed's end.

As Creed settled comfortably into his cat, he eyed the doctor impatiently. He wanted to know what the man wanted so he could go back to "reuniting" with his love. Doctor Kanzaki smiled knowingly at the teen, cutting straight to the point.

"Anyway, I just came in here to check on your vitals and give you a run down of the situation. Your leg is fractured and you have several broken ribs. However, the biggest concern is your head. Lucky for you, it's a simple linear fracture, so the pain should subside soon, but we'll need to put you on antibiotics. I hope your friend has told you by now that you won't be going back to school this year?"

The boys just gaped at the man for a moment. He had just thrown all that information at them with barely a breath between sentences. It was a lot to take in, but Creed nodded at the doctor's question.

"Great. It'd be a really dumb idea if you did. You're going to be bed ridden for a while, so it's not like you'll be able to go anywhere anyway." He took a few more notes then snapped the clipboard shut, ignoring the boys' bewildered stares.

"Geeze, ever heard of bedside manner, Doc?" Train said, eyebrow twitching slightly.

The doctor eyed him impatiently and sighed. "You don't become the top doctor in the country by being nice. I'm here to present you the facts and make sure your friend recovers quickly. You want sympathy, go talk to that lovesick nurse of yours. I'm already getting sick of seeing your face around here, Mr. Heartnet. Today is supposed to be your discharge day anyway."

Kanzaki scowled at the cat's cheeky smile, knowing he didn't intend on going anywhere anytime soon. The doctor walked to the door quickly, pausing to say one more thing, "Oh, last thing. That detective is here to talk to you, Mr. Diskence. I'll let her in now."

As the doctor left, Charlotte entered with a cheerful smile despite the current situation. She stepped in front of Creed, eyeing the duo wittingly as the silver teen clung desperately to Train. The golden boy didn't seem to mind the contact, but also wasn't fully engaged in it. It seemed that while the cat didn't feel as strongly for Creed as he did towards Train, the brunette still cared a great deal for the boy and wasn't afraid of the intimacy he presented.

Creed never moved from his spot against his love's chest and eyed her tediously. He tightened his grip on his cat, beginning to feel a bit of possessiveness take over.

_Why are all these people interrupting us? I'm not done with my alone time with Train!_

He rubbed his face against his beloved's chest, closing his eyes and enjoying the closeness while ignoring the woman before him. This time Creed was interrupted by his love's snapping fingers, bringing him back to reality. The silver boy couldn't give Train anything but a loving look, then turned his attention back to the woman.

"Can I help you?" Creed said, wrapping his arms around Train's back, praying the teen he loved wouldn't stop the gesture. When he didn't, Creed smiled widely, not caring what this woman thought.

Charlotte smiled at the two, then pulled out a pen and paper. "Mr. Diskence, I'm detective Charlotte Miller, and I need to ask you a few questions if you're up for it."

Creed frowned at the woman and adjusted himself slightly against Train, but still did not pull away. It was only now he became aware of how badly his body hurt. Even with the pain medicine coursing through his veins, he ached. His leg was hanging up and in a cast, hoses and wires attached to his body, machines beeping constantly in the background. Both his arms were wrapped up and there was a bandage around his head. Creed fingered the back of his head lightly, wincing at the pain and the lack of hair.

It was only when Train's hand pulled him away from the wound did he refocus. Creed gazed adoringly at his cat and felt strength swell within him. Regretfully looking away from his love, Creed turned his stare to the woman.

"I'm ready. Anything to keep Train safe."

Charlotte nodded, but then eyed his cat sadly. "Mr. Heartnet, I'm sorry but you'll have to leave the room for this. I need genuine answers from Mr. Diskence. I also fear your presence may be a bit distracting for him…"

Creed clung tightly to Train and glared daggers at the woman. The detective did her best to ignore the glare and gestured to the door for Train. As his beloved stood, the silver teen grasped desperately at his beloved, grabbing his hands before he moved.

Train smiled and squeezed his friend's hands slightly. "It's okay, Creed. I'll be right outside and if you need me, I'll come running in."

Still whining, Creed clung a little tighter, pulling Train closer again so his face was now pressed against his cat's stomach. Train sighed and pushed him away gently, "Creed… You need to talk to her. This is how we're going to put the beast away for good."

With one last whimper, Creed reluctantly let his hero go. Train messed with his hair before heading towards the door. Creed watched his cat go sadly, seeing the teen had pulled out his phone and felt a stab in his heart.

_Is he texting_ _**her…** _ _?_

"Mr. Diskence, are you okay?"

Creed's thoughts were brought back to the woman before him. She was smiling warmly at him, hand on his arm as she spoke soothingly. There was something about that smile and her touch that made him relax a little. Aside from Tanaka, there had never been an adult he felt he could trust. But, this woman's gaze had something to it… Something he had always longed for. A sort of… mothering feeling.

Glancing sadly at the door, Creed responded quietly. "I'm just… wondering who he's texting…"

Charlotte chuckled and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, he's been at your side non-stop. I don't think he's had time to think about anything else other than you. I've popped in and out of the room to check on you two, and the longest conversation I heard him have was with someone named Sven. When I asked Train about it, he said your other friends wanted to visit, but the doctor said based on your condition, Train was the only one permitted."

Creed eyed the woman curiously, both hesitant and happy at her over the top care. _She's actually nicer than the doctor… She has definitely taken more of an interest in me and my Cat than Kanzaki has._

He smiled at the woman, feeling his early unease subside. "So… What did you want to ask me?"

Nodding and pulling her arm back, the detective clicked her pen again. "I have a witness account and Train's account of what happened that night, but what I really need is your account. It sounds like it was more than just a physical assault… But Train gets too angry when we approach that subject." Her eyes glistened with worry as she said the next question. "Creed… Did that man…"

Creed cut her off quickly. "No. Train saved me before it could happen."

Charlotte sighed in relief. "Okay, good. Let's start from the beginning then, shall we?"

* * *

About an hour later Charlotte left and told Train he could come back in. As soon as he saw his love, he reached for him, clasping the air with his fingers like a toddler wanting their toy back. Train laughed and walked over to Creed, allowing his friend to embrace him strongly. The cat patted his head and sat back down in his chair.

Creed giggled as Train blushed when his stomach made a sound. Train subconsciously touched his stomach and looked away from Creed, embarrassed at the sound that emitted.

Creed smiled at his beloved. "Are you hungry, Train?"

Train folded his arms across his chest, still not looking at his friend. "Well… I haven't eaten much in three days… So, of course! But…" He looked at his partner from the corner of his eyes. "I didn't want to leave you alone. Especially after your questioning…"

"Oh, I can take care of that!"

Both boys turned to the door to see the nurse standing there. He smiled warmly, one hand on his hip as he spoke. "I'll bring you up two trays of food immediately. I've been trying to get this pretty boy here to eat since the moment he walked in. I'm happy to hear he's finally willing to!"

Train smiled and Creed growled quietly. He did not appreciate the way this nurse called **his** Train pretty, no matter how true it was. He also did not care for the tone of voice he used or the way he looked at **his** cat.

"Yes, please! Something with lots of meat!"

The nurse blushed at Train and nodded a little too enthusiastically for Creed's taste. Creed felt another growl slip his control which caught his love's attention.

Train glanced between the two and sighed, feeling his friend's jealousy rise. Creed grabbed his love's hand, entwining their fingers in an obvious fashion so the man at the door noticed. He pressed his lips against Train's fingers, making sure the nurse had seen it.

_He seems too young to be a_ _**real** _ _nurse. What is he, twenty? Too young. I should request someone else._

The nurse saw the gesture and his blush turned a brighter shade of red, seeming to catch himself in his thoughts. He eyed Creed with trepidation and envy, then Train with mild desire before leaving the room quickly.

"R-right, I'll be right back with that! And a bunch of healthy food for Creed-san as well!"

Train felt a sweat drop at the interaction, not fully understanding what had happened, but having a general idea. He sighed as Creed kissed his fingers and pulled away gently, just enough so the boy would stop the kisses, but not enough that he released his friend's hands. "Is it your mission to scare away anyone who might show even the smallest bit of interest in me?"

Creed nodded harshly, "Yes. Of course. I'm not done with you yet!"

Train rolled his eyes at Creed's eager look and decided to change the subject. "Moving on… Sven and Eve want to come see you. Now that you're awake the doctor said you can have a few more visitors. Would you like that?"

Creed smiled widely at that thought. "Yes. Yes I would love to see them…"

His cat stood quickly as if something had just occurred to him. "Crap! I told them to stop by that burger place we like on the way over for dinner! Totally forgot, I better stop Oliver!"

Creed reached for Train to stop him, not wanting his beloved to be alone with that too-young-of-a-nurse, but the silver boy was too slow. Train was out the door and running down the hall, calling out to said man. Creed grumbled angrily to himself, folding his arms childishly against his chest.

_He better keep his damn hands to himself if he knows what's good for him!_

* * *

Few more hours passed by and Creed watched Sven and Eve walk through the door. The younger girl ran to Creed and threw her arms carefully around his neck, giving him a big squeeze as she did so. Creed smiled and returned her embrace, sputtering a little as the girl's golden locks tickled his nose playfully.

Sven pulled the girl away from Creed and gave him a strong hug as well. Creed actually enjoyed the contact. It felt like he was being hugged by his big brother. He never had an older, positively male role model, and Sven was kind of that person.

_Well, he's actually the same age as us, but he definitely acts older than us._

Sven pulled away and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. "Glad to see you're okay."

Eve took a seat next to him, careful to ignore Train's chair and held Creed's hand. With her other hand, she tickled his palm delicately, Creed relaxing under the gesture, surprised at how someone other than Train touching him could actually feel good.

Sven handed the bag of food to an enthusiastic cat who immediately opened the bag and shoved a fistful of fries in his mouth. Creed giggled lovingly as his hero moaned happily at the food, sighing contentedly at the company and Eve's gentle tickles.

Creed rested his head against the pillow and allowed himself to relax. "Thank you, Little Princess."

Though Creed couldn't see it, he knew Eve nodded at him. "Train's not the only one that cares, you know. We've been worried sick since Train first told us everything…"

Sven laughed and sat hardly in the chair by the foot of Creed's bed. "Yeah, this one hasn't read since she got the news. She said every book reminded her of you, so she just couldn't bring herself to do it."

"Oh! That reminds me!" Eve dug into her backpack and began piling books on the table next to Creed's bed. "Since you're going to be here a while, I figured you'd want something to keep you busy." She eyed Train playfully, "Unless, Train has found other ways to entertain you."

Creed blushed deeply at that and covered his face in one of the books Eve handed him, a smile clearly visible on his face. Train blushed too and threw some fries at the young girl.

"Silence, Princess! I've been keeping him company, that's all!"

Sven chuckled and took a big bite of his burger. "I think that's what Eve is insinuating, Train."

Another firstful of fries were launched across the room, but this time directed at the green haired teen. Train glowered at his two friends, about to speak, but cut off by the silver teen in the bed.

"Let's just say the bond between Train and me has **definitely** taken on a more **intimate** nature…"

Eve and Sven laughed at Creed's words loudly, the cat's face now a bright shade of red as he gawked at his silver friend. Creed prepared himself for a fistful of fries, but instead was greeted with a burger being forced in his mouth. The silver boy looked up at his beloved, who was avoiding eye contact and blushing splendidly.

"J-jsut shut up and eat… This will be the first solid food you've had in days."

Train sat down harshly and finished his burger. Creed smiled at his loved one and took a bite of his own burger. "Train, you can't deny the bond between us. If anything, this whole thing should prove to you even more that we were meant to be!"

**This** earned Creed a firstful of fries at his face. Sven and Eve howled with laughter even more as Creed elegantly ate the fries thrown at him. The laughter continued as Creed offered to feed Train his fries, since clearly he didn't know how to eat them on his own. Train's sputters and blushes continued as he refused the gesture. Sven and Eve smile at one another, happy to see their friend's going back to their normal selves.

Just then, Train's phone rang causing the teen to jump. "Oh! That must be Saya. Hold on, I'll put her on speaker phone."

As soon as Train did, the whole room regretted it. "CREEEEED! ARE YOU OKAY?! WHOSE ASS DO I NEED TO KICK?!"

The group of friends all covered their ears and Train took the off phone speaker quickly. "Saya, chill! We're in a hospital! Also, Creed has a head injury!"

Saya ignored her friend. "Put Creed on! I'm here to talk to him, not you! I talk to you enough!"

Train rolled his eyes and gave the phone to Creed. The silver teen took it tentatively, keeping it away from his ear so as not to hurt his head. "Hello?"

"Creed! Oh, it's so good to hear your voice! How are you doing? Train has been **hysterical** these last few days. I know you're the sick one, but you need to take care of him!"

Creed giggled at his long distance friend. "I know, Saya. I am, trust me. But, you know how he can be."

Train's ears twitched at their conversation. "Eh, are you talking about me? Saya, shut up!" The golden teen leaned over Creed to talk to the girl, making the silver teen push him away.

"Train, she already told you she talks to you enough, it's my turn!"

Train sat back in his chair with a huff and took an aggressive bite of his burger.

After a while Creed put Saya back on speaker phone so she could be a part of the conversation.

They all stayed like that for several hours, easily losing track of time. At one point, Oliver had even come back, ice cream in hand. He had a bowl for everyone in the room, including himself. Creed eyed the young man guardedly as he pulled up a chair next to his cat. If Creed could, he would have jumped off the bed and slammed his ice cream in the man's face. He bawled his hands into fists as the nurse laughed at Train's jokes and even touched his knee.

_Ugh, who does he think he is? This is like Saya all over again!_

Train's ears perked at the increased beeping of the monitors. He watched his friend cautiously and noticed the clear signs of jealousy. That was when Train noticed the nurse had his hand on Train's knee. The cat boy frowned and gently removed the hand and moved his chair closer to Creed's bed, allowing the silver teen more access to him.

Creed's focus changed from the nurse to his beloved and smiled. Using his spoon, Creed took a small dollop of ice cream and placed it on Train's nose. He smiled mischievously as his beloved yelped and stammered wildly. The room was filled with laughter at Train's expense again except for Oliver who pulled out a napkin to clean the teen's face.

Before Creed could launch a violent verbal assault at the young man, his love stopped him by wiping his face with his own napkin.

"I got it, thanks."

The nurse frowned and sat back down, eyeing Train and Creed's interactions curiously, as if he was trying to figure out what their relationship was.

Creed smiled triumphantly, feeling as though he had won that round and took a bite of his ice cream. He then pulled Train's chair a little closer, trying to make the situation obvious to Oliver. Train decided to hide his shame in his own ice cream, avoiding both men that were subtly fighting over him. He was beginning to wonder if the whole world was set up to embarrass him.

The kids were interrupted by a loud, stern cough. Everyone turned to the door to see a very disapproving doctor Kanzaki. He eyed everyone in the room impatiently, tapping his toe slightly with his long arms crossed against his chest.

"Having a party, are we?"

The room swallowed in unison as he looked around. His eyes first settled on Sven and Eve. "Visiting hours ended twenty minutes ago, you both need to leave."

"I'm hanging up now. BYE CREED!" A click on the other end of the phone implied the girl had indeed hung up.

Sven and Eve stood quickly as Saya hung up, the green teen tripping slightly over the chair as he left, Eve giving Creed one more hug before she followed quickly after her boyfriend. The couple avoided the doctor's gaze as they left, but they could feel it on their backs as they rushed out the room.

"We'll come back tomorrow, Creed!" Sven could be heard shouting down the hallway before he was shushed sternly by a nurse.

The doctor then stared down at the nurse. "And you… Mr. Oliver… Are you still chasing that puppy dog crush of yours…?" He eyed the cat boy as the nurse blushed and stood quickly.

"Wh-what? I mean, no sir! I-I was just bringing the patient and his companions some ice cream! T-they've been through a lot and I-I thought this might help them all feel b-better."

Creed growled at the nurse, "Yeah, right…"

The nurse stuttered a few more incomprehensible words before bowing deeply at Kanzaki. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I'll get back to my station."

He turned and bowed politely to Train and Creed, the silver teen still glaring and the golden teen covering his blushing face. Oliver looked quickly at Train and blushed again before leaving the room. He tripped over the doctor's feet who refused to move out of the way for him and jogged hurriedly down the hallway.

Kanzaki sighed and cleaned his glasses off. "As for you, Mr. Heartnet." He placed the glasses back on his face, scowling slightly at the brunette. "Today was your last day here. You can go home now."

Train smiled impishly at the doctor and rested his feet on the chair the nurse had been using.

"Nah, I'm good. Besides, I don't think this one will take too kindly to my departure."

The doctor followed Train's thumb to the silver teen who was practically crying at Kanzaki's words. The monitor had begun to beep quickly again, showing a clear sign of Creed's distress.

Sighing, the older man adjusted his glasses slightly so he could fully take in the two boys. "Fine. It appears that Mr. Diskence is incapable of coping without you right now. As much as I'd wish you'd leave and stop distracting my nursing staff from their daily duties, I guess you need to stay."

Train's smile never wavered, knowing what the doctor's response would be before he even said it. "Can't help it, Doc. I'm a heart-breaker." The feline teen placed his hands over his chest, mimicking a beating heart.

The feline teen laughed joyfully at the doctor's glare, beginning to enjoy how easy it was to rile the older man up. The doctor turned on his heels and left without another word. He refused to be the source of this young man's entertainment any longer.

Creed smiled at his beloved as Kanzaki left. "Thank you, Train…"

His cat eyed him curiously. "For what?"

"For staying with me…"

Train brushed his words aside, "Of course I'm staying. My presence is what keeps you grounded, right?" Creed nodded rapidly. "Then I'll stay. Every night if I have to until you're better." The brunette groaned as his mind drifted elsewhere. "Besides… it's not like I'll have a place to stay in a few weeks…"

Creed eyed his beloved curiously, "What do you mean, Train?"

Train lowered his head into his hands. "I haven't been able to work a lot recently… There's just been so much going on and I wanted to focus more on school. Plus… those checks I told you about? They stopped a while back. I don't know what happened, but I've fallen behind on rent. The only reason I haven't been kicked out yet is my landlord is super cool."

Feeling like he was just gutted, Creed realized it was time for another confession. "Well… about that…" Creed avoided Train's gaze for this next part, not sure how his cat would react. "You know how I told you I worked two jobs? Well… one of those was for you… I dropped off the extra money I made at your apartment so you could make ends meet…"

Creed waited for his hero to respond, still avoiding his eyesight and the potential hurt. To Creed, it felt like an eternity and a world had passed between them in a matter of seconds.

_Come on, Train, say something…_

"Oh…" Train hesitated. "Well… then I guess thanks you are in order."

Blue eyes shot up at golden ones, his heart fluttering rapidly in his chest at the accepting look he saw in those golden depths he loved so much. Train laughed as the heart monitored speed up again, choosing not to touch Creed for fear of bringing the doctor and his angry words back.

"Creed, after everything we've been through, you really think you helping my pay for rent is going to chase me away? Come on, give me more credit than that." Train flicked his best friend's forehead mildly, making sure not to aggravate his already hurt body.

"Well... Anyway... I actually had to quit both my jobs so I could start applying to colleges and scholarships..." Creed paused, knowing this next part might make his love uncomfortable. "I figured if I could get a good education and a good job, I could provide you with more than just a rent check... I could take care of you better..."

Another pause, this one shorter than the last and Train let out an exacerbated sigh. "You don't need to support me forever, Creed..."

"I know that!" Creed sounded offended at the idea that his cat wasn't able to take care of himself. "It would... just be nice to know I could help you whenever you needed it..."

Train smiled at his friend, feeling the love his friend emitted. "Creed... From the bottom of my heart... Thank you. Thank you for caring about me as much as you do..."

Creed could only give his beloved that lovesick look he knew he always did. "How do you do it? How do you make the impossible happen?"

At Train's puzzled look, Creed elaborated. "How do you always find a way to make me love you more? Just when I think I couldn't possibly love you any more, you do something like this and I can't help but fall a little harder for you."

Train blinked, then laughed at his friend. "Creed, I didn't **do** anything! I just said thank you for doing something nice for **me**."

Creed cupped his cat's cheek, caressing his slightly tanned skin lovingly. "Even a thank you is enough to set my heart on fire."

The silver teen found himself staring at his hero's lips fervently, his own lips aching to feel them. Creed felt himself moving forward subconsciously, having a hard time controlling his urges, the painkillers still in his system being of no help. He still wanted to make that dream he had earlier a reality and was hoping maybe Train wouldn't refuse.

Train recognized that look in Creed's eyes and blushed, mind racing back to the moment when his friend had first confessed. He pulled back a little, wrapped his arm playfully around his partner's neck, and gave him a gentle noogie. "Alright, I get it, Creed. Pull yourself together."

A tentative throat clearing brought their attention to the door to see Oliver standing there, blush on his face, hands behind his back, stance nervous and coy. The young man must have slipped away when Kanzaki wasn't looking, clearly not done with his golden crush yet.

Creed made his growl loud enough to be heard by the young man. Oliver's gaze fell to the floor quickly after seeing that look, glancing swiftly at Train and blushing even more.

"I-I'm so sorry if I'm interrupting a-anything. I-I just came back to collect your dishes and g-garbage and t-to see if there was anything else y-you n-needed."

Train released his hold on his friend, much to Creed's disappointment. "No, you're not interrupting anything, don't worry."

Creed didn't like the way the nurse smiled at his beloved, the young man's eyes lighting up cheerfully at Train's gorgeous golden orbs, as if the cat's smile was shining just for him.

Frantically, Creed reached for Train's arm, wrapping his thin limbs around it selfishly. He sharpened his glare on the young nurse and tightened his hold on beloved. "Actually, you are interrupting. Take what you need and leave… **Quickly** …"

Oliver swallowed thickly as Creed eyed him, feeling the color from his face disappear. The young man circled the room, picking up any unused dishes and garbage. He stopped in front of Train, frozen like a deer in headlights as those golden eyes twinkled happily as they always did, as if they never knew another state.

Train was handing him a bowl that once held ice cream and tossing him a friendly smile. "Thank you for the ice cream, by the way. It was delicious!"

Creed watched as the nurse swooned at Train's words and smile, "Y-you're w-welcome… Do… Do you need anything e-else?"

"We're fine. **L** **eave…** "

Oliver jumped at Creed's cold words. Avoiding the silver teen's eyes, the nurse made his way to the door.

"And close the door!" Creed yelled just before he left.

The nurse stuck his head back in, blushing and smiling at Train briefly before closing it quietly. Creed glared at the hardwood, daring the man to make another entrance and attempt at his love.

Train rolled his eyes and glanced at Creed's arm. _Guess he's starting to get some strength back._

Creed had tightened his hold on Train's good arm to the point the brunette's fingers were beginning to fall asleep.

"Umm, Creed? Can I have my arm back? I'd prefer not to have two broken arms. Besides, this one is my favorite."

The silver teen blink at the door, then at his love, then at the arm he clung to. He released it slightly, but not all the way.

"Sorry, Train. I just… I don't like him. I need to request a new nurse…"

Train snickered, "I don't know, I kind of do." Seeing Creed's puppy dog eyes fall on him, the cat boy patted his friend's cheek lightly. "He reminds me a lot of you when we first met."

Creed blushed at his beloved. "But, Train, that wasn't when we first met! And I was **nothing** like that! And besides, he can't possibly feel what I feel for you. I lo-"

Train interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips. Creed fought the urge to kiss the precious digit and swooned instead. Gazing into those dazzling, brilliantly, amber orbs, Creed forgot everything about that nurse.

"I know, Creed. I know I met you much longer ago and I know that you love me. I won't forget it. I promise. You need to rest now."

Creed nodded heartily and watched as his cat settled into his "bed". He then looked down at his beloved's hand, noticing his cat had left it on the bed purposefully. The silver teen smiled and settled in himself. He grabbed onto the strong limb and nuzzled his face against the warm skin.

The injured boy watched his love until he fell asleep, needing Train to be the last thing he saw before he also drifted off, hoping he had a repeat in dreams tonight.

* * *

During the middle of the night the Train was awoken by panicked, heavy breathing and low groans. As he blinked and rubbed his golden irises, Train heard the breathing and groaning getting louder and more frantic.

He looked over at Creed who seemed to be having a panic attack in his sleep. His heart monitor was beeping fiercely as the silver teen began to toss and turn, threatening to unhook himself from the wires he was connected to.

Train also couldn't help but notice Creed had been calling his name desperately. He even grasped at the air a few times, as if Train was a balloon floating away from him and Creed needed to grab the string before he was gone forever.

He heard a few other words that disturbed him even more.

"No… Get off… Get away from me! DON'T TOUCH ME! TRAIN! HELP!"

That was what woke the cat boy up fully. Train was to his feet instantly and leaned over the bed. At some point during the night, Train had lost a hold of Creed's hand and the golden boy couldn't help but wonder if that's what brought on the night terrors his friend was currently enduring.

Train was on him in an instant, clasping his hand as tight as he could. "Creed, it's okay, I'm here!"

Shockingly, this did not calm down the silver boy. Train tried to place his broken arm near his head and mess with his already tangled hair. Still, Creed tossed and turned, cried wildly and begged for Train to come back and his attacker to go away. The beeping became more frenzied and Train cursed under his breath. Desperate, and out of ideas, Train crawled in the bed next to his friend.

Carefully, but quickly, Train laid himself next to the silver teen and pulled him against his chest. Train wrapped his arms around Creed's back and began delicately tickling his back. With his broken arm, the feline teen ran his fingers against Creed's neck, ignoring the pain the awkward position put him in.

"Shhh, Creed it's okay. I'm here… You're safe. He can't get you here. I won't let him. I promise."

Train tightened his grip on Creed as he sobbed. Slowly, his breaths calmed down and his groans stopped. His fragile fingers clung to Train's shirt and he sighed a few shaky breaths. The tears stopped and his body was no longer heaving with heavy sobs. Train felt his injured friend relax in his arms and sigh contentedly. The beeping on the monitor had slowed down and resumed its normal state, signaling Creed was okay.

Breathing a sigh of relief Train leaned his head back. "Man, you are **really** needy…" Train continued his movements, wanting to make sure his friend was fully relaxed.

There was a light gasp at the door that perked Train's ears, but the teen could not turn to see who it was. When he heard a husky voice speak, he knew who was there.

"Well, here I come rushing in with a team to save a potentially coding patient only to find him resting peacefully in his precious friend's arms."

Train scoffed as best he could without waking Creed, "You're just mad I'm doing your job for you."

The golden teen heard a chuckle then a sad sigh, then a light smack on the back of the head. "Nurse Oliver, get over your little crush. It's not happening."

At that point, Train knew who the gasp had come from. The golden teen heard a whiney puff and could tell the nurse was pouting behind his back. The golden cat rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the young man at the door. "Well? Are you just gonna stand there gawking or are you gonna check these machines to make sure he's okay?"

Quick footsteps signaled the latter of the two was true and could see the doctor's back as he checked the monitors and took some notes. He then turned swiftly and checked Creed's pulse by pulling his wrist up rapidly, again lacking all bedside manner.

Train frowned up at the doctor, still making sure his comforting hands never left his friend. When Kanzaki dropped the wrist crudely, Train glowered at the man.

"Did you look up what bedside manner is yet, or did you decide it was a waste of time?"

Taking a few notes, Kanzaki didn't even look at the boy. "Waste of time. He's fine, but you might want to get settled in for the night. Looks like something set him off around 2:03, but he calmed down as soon as you climbed next to him."

Train heard another agitated puff from the foot of the bed and realized Oliver was standing there adjusting Creed's hanging leg. While tossing and turning, the silver boy must have knocked it a little loose so the nurse was securing it back in place.

"We walked in just as you were settling next to him and noticed the almost immediate change in his heart rate. Hope you're comfy." The doctor smirked at the feline teen and left the room, beckoning Oliver to follow him.

Oliver looked at Train before he left the bed and blushed, then hurried after the older man. Before closing the door, Kanzaki smirked again and waved at Train. "Good night."

When he closed the door Train stuck his tongue out in his direction. He turned his attention back to a harmoniously sleeping Creed, watching as his friend burrowed his face into Train's chest, hands resting lovingly against his shoulders.

Train exhaled tiredly and fixed his head on top of Creed's. "Guess this is my life now…"

Despite himself, Train smiled a little, happy he could calm his friend down so easily. As his lids grew heavy he felt Creed snuggle closer. The two slept quietly the rest of the night.


	15. What The Future Holds

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

**What The Future Holds**

The next few weeks had gone by pretty quickly for Creed. His cat had recovered well, faster than Kanzaki expected. Other than his arm he was pretty much completely better and permitted to go back to school on the promise that he would take it easy. Meaning, he still couldn't go back to work or take part in any physical fitness classes. That upset Train, but he followed the doctor's orders after Creed gave him a puppy dog look.

However, his love came to the hospital every day after school, homework and notes in tow, and the two would study and joke late into the night. Train handed in all of Creed's assignments for him and the teachers were impressed how well his work had been done considering he wasn't in school and honestly didn't need to do it. None of them expected to see work from the student, but they accepted it nonetheless and would inform Train of his results.

Creed was actually surprised at the amount of people who showed concern for him. He received countless cards and balloons, a few stuffed animals, and even flowers from Tanaka. The silver teen remembered watching his beloved walk in with a beautiful bouquet of red roses and nearly wept with joy. However, before he could get too carried away with his blissful thoughts, his love stopped him and explained they were from their teacher. The card attached proved this to be true.

The injured boy was sad when he saw they were not from his cat, but felt a warmth in his heart when he read the woman's letter. A few days after that, Tanaka even visited. Hotaka-san was with her and Creed was amazed they cared enough to come check on him.

Occasionally, Sven and Eve would stop by and hang out with the boys. Saya called practically every day, but made sure it was during times Train wasn't there. She always told Creed she didn't want to interrupt their time together, which Creed appreciated more than the girl knew.

There were even a few days when Rinslet and Jenos stopped by. That was before Jenos caused such a scene with the female staff that Rinslet nearly made him a patient next to Creed. After that day, they were banned by Doctor Kanzaki.

There was a day when Kyoko attempted to visit. However, the group quickly decided that was an awful idea and told her no. Chances were the young girl was only showing up to torment Train, which would only worsen Creed's condition. It was bad enough he had to put up with Oliver on a regular basis, having Kyoko around would have made everything ten times worse.

Thinking of said nurse, Creed couldn't help but notice he was currently pacing in front of the room's open door. The young man had tried to make it seem inconspicuous, but the blue eyed teen knew all too well what was happening. Every time Oliver would pass, Creed would glare.

"I can't believe they wouldn't let me switch nurses…"

Train gave his partner a curious look and then turned to the door. He laughed when Oliver passed again and yipped quietly when the cat boy spotted him. Train went to wave, but the nurse was already gone after seeing Creed's glare.

He brought his attention back to Creed, who was still glowering at the door. "By the time the request was made it was too late. He already knows your entire chart in and out including your medical history and the medicines you're on. It was just too big of a workload to put on another nurse."

Kanzaki had explained this to an angry Creed, but the boy didn't care. He didn't care how overworked the rest of the nursing staff was, he wanted Oliver gone.

"He memorized everything so quickly because he wanted more exposure to you."

Train rolled his eyes and threw a pencil at his friend. "Not everyone is as dedicated to their feelings as you are."

Creed ignored the pencil and continued to watch the door, noticing the pacing nurse had not passed in a while. Just when he thought the young man had given up, he passed by again.

A knock at the door brought Train's attention to it as well. The nurse vying for his cat walked in the room. Creed continued to glare at the man who had appeared to have gone out of his way recently to keep himself better groomed.

He smiled at both teens, lingering a little on Train with a small blush. "Mr. Diskence? Detective Miller is here to see you."

The red headed woman stepped into the room behind Oliver, removing her hat. She had been stopping by occasionally to update the boys on their case, so it wasn't uncommon to see her. However, she hadn't been by in a few days, so Creed couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

Charlotte sensed this and attempted to ease the teen's nerves with her smile and calm words. "It's good to see you looking stronger and stronger every day."

Creed smiled at that and attempted to flex like his cat often did. "Thanks, most of the staff here has been amazing with their care." The teen couldn't help the annoyed glance he tossed at Oliver who seemed to not notice considering he was too preoccupied with what Train was doing.

The detective laughed and motioned for the nurse to leave. It took him a minute to notice the snapping fingers, but when he did he blushed and bowed to everyone in the room, leaving quickly, but not going too far.

The woman cleared her throat to get the teens' attention. She took a seat at the end of his bed, still smiling at the duo. "Mr. Heartnet, you also seem to be doing better every day."

Train smiled and pounded his chest with his good hand. "That's right! Almost back to normal minus this!" He held his arm in the air to dramatic emphasis. "But it itches like **hell**! I think I've lost an entire pack of pens down there."

Creed frowned at his beloved. "I told you to stop scratching… I'm sure you lost my favorite pen in there too."

The silver teen couldn't stay mad at the golden teen when he gave him that pitiful, sorry look. All he could do was prevent his body from catapulting itself at his love.

A gentle chuckle redirected their conversation. "As happy as I am to see you two doing so well, I want to give you an update on your case."

Seeing both boys' full attention on her, she continued. "As you know, Izo Ito has been unconscious since that night. I'm sure you also heard he woke up a few days ago, correct?"

Creed shivered, but nodded. Train was next to him immediately and grabbed his shoulder firmly. The silver teen gave his cat a grateful look and took a deep breath, signaling the woman to continue.

"I know this may be hard to swallow, but that's actually good news. We were already going to take the route of self defense, but the fact that he's alive makes everything less complicated." She gave the boy a minute to process that, then continued.

"We wanted to question him right away, but his doctor said he wouldn't be able to answer any questions just yet. After a few days, the doctor said he was coherent enough to comprehend and respond. However…"

She paused, trying to tell Train through her eyes to provide Creed with a bit more comfort. The feline teen seemed to understand her thoughts and pulled Creed against his shoulder, wrapping his good arm around his friend tightly.

"... It appears he found a lawyer, and the lawyer spoke to him first."

Creed froze against his beloved, clutching the bed and feeling the color draining from his face. "So… What does that mean…?"

"It means… we might be going to court. We're going to need to find you a lawyer…"

Creed felt his soul leave his body in that moment. His skin turned a sickly pale and he felt his vision begin to blur. The events of that night and the night prior to it repeated in his head non-stop. The idea of what almost happened played in his mind like a broken record over and over again. He had been trying so hard to forget that night, and the idea of needing to relive it was more than Creed could handle right now.

Train jumped into the bed next to him, pulling his distraught friend against his chest. His fingers slid against his hospital gown slightly and tickled his back. Train had learned quickly that this motion got Creed out of most of his panicked states.

"It's okay, Creed. I'm here…"

At the feel of his love against him, his strong fingers delicately tickling his back Creed could feel his soul re-enter his body. He sighed and relaxed into the gesture, pressing his face into his cat and breathing deeply.

Charlotte allowed the boys their moment and watched as Creed calmed down. After a few minutes, she spoke again. "I do have some good news though…"

Both teens looked at her curiously, their positions not changing.

"I happen to be friends with a lawyer who not only specializes in assault cases, but after hearing what happened to you and how your mother was involved, she agreed to do it pro-bono."

She smiled as the teen's blinked. Train threw his hands in the air and cheered loudly.

"That's great news! What's her number?!"

Charlotte smiled warmly at the boy's enthusiasm, noticing Creed had grabbed Train's arms again and placed them back where they were before. The golden teen compiled and continued to comfort his friend.

"I'll do you one better. She's waiting outside right now. I wanted to gauge your reaction and give you the news before I introduced you." She looked at Creed who still had a hint of fear in his eyes despite Train's warm embrace. "Would that be okay, Creed?"

Creed was staring at the woman, not really seeing her as she spoke.

_This still means I need to relive that night…_

Train, seeing his friend had not responded yet, nudged Creed's head so it was facing him. The cat boy gave him the most sincere smile he could, hoping he could reach his partner before he slipped too far away.

"Creed… You can do this…"

The injured teen gazed at his beloved for a minute, taking his time to suck as much strength from those golden irises as he could. He returned Train's smile, then looked at the detective.

"Yes. Yes, please send her in."

Charlotte nodded and headed towards the door. She peaked her head out and said something the boys didn't hear and came back in. Following her was a tall woman with long blonde hair that reached to the back of her knees. Her skin was a pearly white, her large eyes a blue that pierced Creed's soul. Her face was serious as she entered the room, watching the teen on the bed as she did so.

With a few quick and intense steps forward, she reached Creed's bed and put her hand out in front of him. "Mr. Diskence, I'm Sephiria Ark. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Creed stared at the woman, words leaving him as she took her in. Her demeanor was so… powerful. She wore a dark purple pant suit, shoulders broad yet her frame was petite. Everything about his woman demanded respect and Creed didn't want to know what would happen if you didn't give it to her.

The teen blinked between Sephiria and the hand, then took it. Her handshake was firm and commanding, her eyes never leaving Creed's as she greeted him. The woman then turned her gaze to Train's.

"And you must be Mr. Hearnet. You're going to be a powerful asset in convicting this filth."

Train stared at her like a deer in headlights, barely noticing as he took her hand as well. Creed laughed inwardly at his beloved's reaction. It wasn't many people that could render Train Heartnet speechless and this woman hadn't even really said anything.

"Y-yes. That's me!" Train tried to sound confident as he shook her hand, but couldn't help the bit of intimidation that caked his voice.

The lawyer pulled back and stood strongly, adjusting her suit jacket as she did so. She took one step back, eyes still on Train. "Mr. Heartnet, if you wouldn't mind unlatching yourself from Mr. Diskence, I need to speak to him alone first."

Train blushed at her statement, realizing Creed was still nuzzled against his chest. Quickly, Train stood, ignoring his friend's quiet whimpers as he did so. There was something about this woman that made him not want to cross her. When he felt Creed reaching for him, he grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"You'll be fine, Creed. I should get us dinner anyway. It's getting pretty late."

Train left quickly, actually bowing slightly at Sephiria as he left which he had never done to an adult before. She didn't ask for it, but Train felt compelled to do it. Charlotte winked reassuringly at him as he left. The detective then stood and followed after Train, leaving the two alone.

When the door shut, the tall blonde took Train's seat, not bothering to ask for permission. She leaned forward slightly, hands folded and against her chin as she spoke.

"Mr. Diskence, I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to trust me and tell me everything that happened that night and the night prior."

Watching the boy swallow and panic she smiled collectedly. "I know you've gone over it a million times with detectives. I know it's probably been all you can think about, but if we're going to clean up the filth in this world, we need to open our eyes to the harsh reality first. Anything worth having has never, and will never come easy."

Those words rang in Creed's ears, echoing against his brain like a dream. Train's golden eyes and cheeky smile suddenly appeared in front of him. Creed smiled at the image, knowing all too well what the woman meant.

He nodded and sat up straight, ready to give this strong woman everything she needed to take that man down.

* * *

Train was learning his head against the sneeze guard that hovered above the cafeteria food. His eyes were unfocused, thoughts on his friend upstairs and the news they had received. He was lazily scooping potatoes onto his plate, unaware how heavy or full it had become.

_This sucks… I guess it was too much to ask that the bastard never woke up, or if he did he just immediately confessed and this was all over with already!_

He sighed and began to rhythmically tap his head against the glass, ignoring the strange looks he received, barely aware of them anyway.

Creed had been making such good progress. Train had spent the night there every night and noticed how his friend's night terrors were beginning to subside. There were a few more times he needed to crawl in the bed with his friend, but they had become less.

_As much as Creed insisted I stay in the bed with him all the time, he needs space to recover. It's just a bad idea on so many levels, I can't do it as much as he wants._

However, Train couldn't lie. He had gotten used to having the teen next to him. Whether they shared a bed or not, Train forgot what it was like to have someone who loves you nearby. It was… comforting to have someone next to you, let alone someone you know cares about you more than anything else. The golden teen had a feeling he would be living with Creed one way or another after that night. Creed's confession that he had been helping him pay rent confirmed that feeling as well.

Train groaned at the thought.

_Right now,_ _ **no one**_ _is paying rent… I haven't been working and Creed doesn't have his jobs anymore…_

The cat boy called his landlord to explain the situation. He was incredibly understanding and made an agreement with Train: He would hold his apartment for Train to come back to once he and Creed were back on their feet. It helped that the golden teen had explained he would be returning with a roommate which would make paying him easier.

_Still, I don't think I could have gotten luckier to have such a great landlord._

"Think you got enough potatoes there?"

Train jumped at the sudden voice next to him and banged his head against the glass. He felt hands hover apologetically to his face which he swapped away like a fly. His golden orbs stared down at a small nurse he had gotten to know pretty well over the last few weeks. Oliver was blushing up at him violently, covering his mouth with his hands.

"I'm s-so sorry, Mr. Heartnet! I-I didn't mean to s-startle you! Oh, and you're s-still recovering, aren't y-you?"

Train rubbed his forehead with his unbroken arm and frowned at the smaller man. "It's fine, I should have been paying better attention." He eyed his plate of potatoes regretfully as he scooped them back in. "I don't even like potatoes…" He mumbled quietly.

Train chose to ignore Oliver's playful giggle next to him. The golden teen could feel the nurse's eyes on him and sighed, a little agitated. "Can I help you?"

The shorter man blushed and stuttered, "N-no! I j-just happen to notice you w-were getting d-dinner and it just h-happened to coincide with my b-break, s-so..."

Train eyed him wearily as he stuttered and sighed again, this one more tired than the last one. _I may be oblivious, but if I learned anything after all this time with Creed, it's that_ _ **this**_ _isn't a coincidence._

The golden teen began to spoon some chicken and rice onto his plate, no longer looking at the man next to him.

"Just **happened** to coincide? And has it just **happened** to coincide for the last five days?"

The last five days every night when Train had come down to get dinner at approximately this time and he couldn't help but notice Oliver was always in the cafeteria. The nurse never approached him, but watched from the corner. The cat boy decided to ignore this and not tell Creed. Nothing had happened and there was no point in upsetting his injured friend.

_Seems like he's decided tonight was a good night to strike up a conversation._

Train could almost hear Oliver's thoughts next to him, the slightly older man trying to come up with a good excuse. The golden teen stuck a drumstick in his mouth and walked away from the buffett.

"I also don't think I've seen anyone else on your shift here at this time. Are you getting special treatment or something?" Train's words were muffled slightly by the chicken as he spoke, walking to a table, knowing the man was following close behind.

Train sat down at a square table and Oliver sat next to him, blushing brightly and still trying to come up with a good excuse.

The cat boy rolled his eyes and removed the chicken from his mouth, chewing the meat as he pointed the stick at the man next to him, "You don't need to give me an excuse, I know what's going on here. I'm not **that** stupid."

Oliver's eyes widened and he covered his face with his hands. "I-I'm sorry if I'm b-being too f-forward!"

Train took another bite of chicken and waved it in the man's face teasingly. "It's fine, believe it or not I'm used to it. Just don't lie to me."

He allowed the nurse a few seconds to compose himself and smirked. _He is_ _ **just**_ _like Creed when we first started hanging out._ He laughed as he watched the man talk to himself under his breath, amused at the similarities he and Creed had despite his friend's protests.

Feeling Train's eyes on him, Oliver took a deep breath and folded his hands on the table. "I'm sorry… It… It just took a bit to gather the courage to talk to you…" He glanced at Train really quick and blushed again. "You're… Really cute…"

Train choked on his food as he laughed. He covered his mouth and looked away, hoping he hadn't embarrassed the man. "So I've been told." He managed to get out between gags.

When Oliver stood to make sure he was okay, Train coughed and motioned for the man to sit down. The nurse frowned as he sat, "I **am** a nurse you know… I know how to perform mouth to mouth if needed…"

Train slammed his head against the table at that comment. "Bold one, aren't you?" He didn't lift his head to say this and sighed deeply.

He lifted his head to continue eating and ignored the blushing man next to him. The next question was more innocent. "Ummm… If you don't mind my asking… How old a-are you?"

Train raised an eyebrow at him as he took a huge gulp of milk. "Eighteen."

Oliver sighed in relief at his response. "Okay… Good."

Still eyeing him curiously, Train returned the question with one of his own. "Why does it matter?"

The nurse jumped. "Oh, i-it's just… I just t-turned twenty before you got here, so I-I was just curious…"

The cat boy put this milk down in favor of his spoon of rice. "Barely twenty? Isn't that a bit young to be a nurse?"

Oliver blushed as he watched Train's hands, still not able to look the teen in the face. "Well… I only just finished m-my associates degree. T-this is my first job. I-I took some e-extra classes during high s-school so I could start my c-career sooner."

The nurse gathered the courage to look Train in the face, cheeks bright red as he spoke. "I-I have plans to c-continue my schooling and b-become a nurse practitioner."

"Really! That's awesome!" Train slapped him on the back, causing the young man to freeze like a rabbit seeing a fox.

Deep breath and he found his voice again. "W-what about you? Do… Do you know w-what you want to do after you g-graduate? It's only a few weeks a-away by now, r-right?"

Train stopped eating at that question. He had been working so hard to finish school he didn't even bother to think about what to do after.

_I probably should start giving it some thought. Creed is pretty much already planning our future together, the least I could do was have a plan on my own…_

Thinking of his friend reminded him of the two women upstairs. They were both so strong and confident. Even though he didn't know them well, Train respected them both so much and honestly looked up to them.

"You know… I never really thought about it. I've never really been good at school, Creed has helped me get through my last year, and I've always felt like college would be a waste of time for me."

He watched as Oliver frowned at the mention of his patient's name, but the young man allowed his crush to continue.

"But, after everything that's happened, I think I might have an idea of what I want to do." Train smiled at the nurse, earning a squeal and another blush. "I think I want to look into becoming a detective!"

Oliver giggled a loud, delightful giggle at Train's enthusiasm. As the teen raised an eye, the nurse smiled. "I'm sorry. Your enthusiasm is just so charming."

Train blinked at the smaller man then slapped his forehead. "Man, you are just like Creed! Maybe a little less handsy."

At hearing the mention of the silver teen again, Oliver swallowed deep and straightened himself up, gathering as much bravery as he could. "S-speaking of M-Mr. D-Diskence… I've been w-wondering…"

Train watched as the man twitched nervously next to him, drumming his fingers on the table anxiously.

"Wh-what... Umm… Wh-what e-exactly **is** y-your relationship with h-him?"

Oliver watched as his crush stared at him in confusion, as if the question was a loaded gun he didn't know how to avoid. Train fluttered his long lashes a few times, digesting each word, trying to find words of his own.

_Why is this so hard to answer?_

His mind wandered back to a conversation he had with Creed that felt like it was years ago.

_"Y-yeah… I'm fine… But that does lead me to another question." Again, Creed sighed and gathered up what little courage he had left. Though, it didn't really matter. His heart was beyond destroyed at this point so there was very little left in him to be hurt. The second question was asked with numb lips. "Do you…_ _ **like**_ _Saya?"_

Train was stuck in the memory, unable to answer Oliver's question at the moment.

_Can I even answer it at all? It's just like with Saya again. I… I don't really know anymore._

After everything he and Creed had been through, after everything his partner had done for him, it was hard to say they were **just** friends. Even best friends didn't feel like the right label.

Train groaned, "Unbelievable. Why is this happening again?"

Oliver's gaze was stern, clearly not leaving without an answer. Train sighed and rubbed his temples.

"It's… complicated?" Seeing that wasn't enough for the nurse, the cat boy rubbed his eyes. "Why does this even matter?"

The small man made a gesture with his head that signified Train knew why it mattered. The golden teen sighed and rested his head in his hands.

_Why do I care enough to answer? Is it for me, or is it to spare this guy's feelings? And how would my answer spare his feelings in any way. I barely know this guy, there's_ _**definitely** _ _nothing between us. As much as he might want that._

Train leaned back in his chair, leaving his spoon on the table as he stared at the bright lights that hung high up the ceiling. "I'm too nice, I guess."

He said this to himself, but still felt the nurse nudge an answer out of him. Train gave him an annoyed glance and resumed his thoughts. He needed to figure this out for himself anyway.

_Why is this so hard to answer? I care about him probably more than anyone else. He's gone above and beyond what normal friends would do for me and I know how he feels, but… I haven't questioned how_ _ **I've**_ _felt in a while._

He enjoyed Creed's company more than anyone else's. The silver teen's advances had become less embarrassing for Train and more normal. Train couldn't deny they had taken a more **intimate** turn, as Creed had so lovingly put it.

_I miss him when I'm at school, I look forward to seeing him after, and I already know I'm more comfortable around him then I am with anyone else, and yet…_

Train knew his feelings didn't match Creed's. The golden teen wasn't sure **how** to match feelings that were **that** strong. Train didn't know how his partner handled it. While he did love his friend, the cat boy knew it wasn't in the way Creed wanted.

_I enjoy his company, I've grown to enjoy his embraces and affection, and I would do pretty much anything for him. But…_

It wasn't quite love. Not the love Creed begged him for.

"We're… Friends." He said finally, but needed to elaborate more when Oliver got a bit too excited for his taste. "But, I need to tell you, Oliver. Creed is very sensitive. He's very attached to me and our relationship **is** complicated. It… Feels strange to call him a friend, but I also know he isn't anything more than that. I care about him deeply, more than I care about anyone else in my life right now, so I need you to do me a favor."

Train eyed the boy, who's happiness had only faltered slightly as the golden boy's explanation. "I need you to back up a bit. Creed is trying to recover, and he needs me for that. When he sees you openly flirting or hanging outside his room waiting for me to come out, he gets really upset. Normally I'd tell him to get over it, but right now he's traumatized physically, mentally, and emotionally so I need you to dial it back. Can you do that for me?"

Oliver looked at him sadly for a minute before he spoke, "So… are you **single**?"

The cat boy threw his arms on the table, wondering if the nurse had even heard what he said. "...If you **have** to know then the answer is yes. Now acknowledge what I said before you get rice to your face."

The slightly older man smiled happily, and nodded. "I can do that. I became a nurse to help people, afterall. I don't want to hurt Mr. Diskence." His gaze fell back to his hands as he blushed again, seeming to gather enough courage for one more question. "C-can… Can I have your number?"

Train threw rice at the man then stood from the table and made his way back to the buffett. Oliver wiped the rice from his face then followed his crush.

"Wait, Mr. Heartnet, at least hear me out?"

The cat boy rolled his eyes as he grabbed another tray and began filling it with food, vegetables included this time. "Stop calling me 'mister', you're older than me remember?"

The nurse looked at him with whale eyes, "I… can call you Train?"

"Yes, man you're impossible. 'Mr. Heatnet' is weirder than saying my first name."

Oliver nodded and grabbed Train's arm before he left the cafeteria, knowing the new plate of food was for the silver teen upstairs. He took a deep breath and gathered every bit of courage he had left.

"Just listen, please. I can back off, and I will, especially in front of Mr. Diskence. B-but… But I would be remiss if I didn't **try**. Y-you're very cute and I like you a lot."

He paused for a second to catch his breath. His heart was racing. "I-if I had your number, I would be able to give you more immediate updates on Creed during the day when you're not here and…" He trailed off for a second and allowed his eyes to wander to a table of nurses who had been watching silently. They gave him a thumbs up, and he continued. "I… I would be better able to step back i-if I knew I could still t-talk to you…"

Train was stunned for a second. A minute ago this man couldn't even look at him, and now he was asking for his number. He blinked at Oliver, then at his hand, then at the table of nurses he hadn't noticed before.

"I have **very** limited texts."

"That's fine, I won't p-pester you!"

The golden boy sighed, "Okay, if I do this, here are the boundaries: First, text only if it's about Creed. Second, less looking at me when you're in Creed's room. And third, and this is important! Third, no more **flirting** in front of Creed. Got it?"

Oliver nodded vigorously and pulled out his phone, handing it to Train with shaking hands.

"If I do this, you'll follow the boundaries and spare Creed's feelings, right?" Train eyed him wearily, he couldn't help but feel like he was being blackmailed a little.

Another nod and the cat boy sighed and took his phone, reluctantly entering his digits. Before he handed it back, he pointed an accusing finger down at the man, phone held firm between his fingers. "If you forget the boundaries, you're blocked. Understood?" Train had learned how to do that thanks to Kyoko.

The nurse nodded and took his phone back eagerly. Train was already walking towards the door quickly, hoping he had made the right choice.

"C-can we eat together again tomorrow? Same time?" Oliver shouted before he left the room.

The feline teen didn't even stop as he turned the corner, shouting his response impatiently. "No! You didn't even eat today!"

He saw Oliver run to the table of nurses joyfully, the team matching his energy as they pulled him into hugs and high fives. He was clearly the youngest of the group, so it seemed like they kind of looked out for him.

Train sighed as he bit bitterly into a cookie he grabbed on the way out.

_It's fine if it's for Creed. Hopefully Oliver will back off in front of him now and Creed's won't be triggered so quickly. And if he doesn't… welcome to the block list, Mr. Oliver._

As if on cue, his phone dinged. Flipping it open, Train groaned in annoyance at the two words glowing on his screen.

"It's Oliver."

Sighing uncomfortably, Train responded sarcastically.

"Really? Couldn't have guessed it."

When he received a wink emoji, Train shut his phone fiercely. He would **not** be responding to **that**.

"I feel like I just gave him too much room to move. Please let that have been the right choice…" He said to himself as he finished the cookie angrily, as if it had been the dessert's fault he was in this situation.

* * *

When Train got back to the room he saw the detective sitting outside. The woman signaled silently that they were almost done and for Train to wait. He did, and as soon as the door opened and they were invited back in, the feline teen jumped to his feet and ran into the room to check on his friend.

He could tell Creed had been crying, but there was still a hint of strength hidden in those blue depths. Train moved to him quickly, setting the tray of food in front of him and allowing his friend to embrace him. The golden teen returned the gesture and smiled as Creed buried his face into his neck. It was something the silver teen had started to do since that night, and Train thought it comforted his friend so he didn't stop him.

The lawyer then wanted to speak with Train privately as well. He kind of figured that, which is why he decided to eat in the cafeteria. Plus, the conversation wasn't going to be easy, so he needed as much energy as he could get. However, much to his dismay, the room they were given to speak in was right next to the nurses station. Even though Train knew they couldn't hear him through the door, he still had to deal with the giggles and pointing. When Oliver showed up and started peaking in the room, Train decided enough was enough and covered the window with a sheet.

Sephiria watched him do this curiously, but decided it was none of her business and continued questioning. They spoke for just over an hour. The tall blonde was surprised at how quick it went. Train was an extremely good witness. He remembered every detail of that night, even things some detectives might not have picked up on.

"I have to say, Mr. Heartnet, I'm impressed. I've never spoken with someone who was so… **sure** of everything. There hasn't been a single gap in your memory and everything you said lines up with the video footage perfectly."

Train smiled triumphantly, placing his legs up on the table that separated them. "You should tell my friends I have a good memory! They'll never believe you!" He tapped his heels on the table happily, ignoring the woman's disgusted stare. "I've always had a knack for sniffing out bad guys and making them pay for their crimes. That's actually how I met Creed. We have quite a bullying problem at our school."

Sephiria knocked his legs off the table, refusing to stare at the dirt of his feet then reviewed her notes. "I think that's everything I need from you. I have some thoughts, but I want to discuss that with both of you in the room."

Without taking her eyes off the notes, the woman walked to the door and beckoned for Train to follow. The teen obeyed and shut the door behind them. Oliver was still there, staring intently at a computer, not seeming to notice the pair as they exited. Train tried to take advantage of this and rushed past the desk. He wasn't fast enough as he heard the nurse call his name and scramble out from behind his desk.

"Train, wait up! How are you doing?"

Train walked faster, causing Sephiria to glance at him strangely. "Since two hours ago?"

"Yes, a lot can happen during that time!"

Oliver had caught up to the pair, much to Train's dismay. _Geeze, nurses are fast._

"We're heading back to **Creed's** room."

He made sure to emphasize Creed's name in hopes of discouraging the man. It didn't work as he heard the nurse laugh lightly.

"I figured, I'm just trying to take advantage of the time you **aren't** there."

_Boy, he got confident fast. Why I am too nice to people?_

Hearing the golden teen growl, Sephiria stopped and turned to the nurse. "Mr… Oliver, is it?" She had glanced at his name tag and didn't bother to wait for his response. "Doesn't matter. As I'm sure you're aware, Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence are currently engaged in an extremely disturbing case. Their time is limited, so they do not have the luxury of exchanging familiarities with every doe eyed staff member they meet. If you wouldn't mind, please read the room and return to your station, or do you want me to contact Dr. Kanzaki?"

Oliver twitched anxiously at the woman, wide eyes once filled with admiration now filled with compliance as he nodded and quickly turned on his heels. Train was shocked he didn't even glance back at the teen, who was also in awe of the tall woman next to him.

Sephiria continued walking, mutely motioning for Train to do the same. He starred in the direction Oliver had run off to, then turned hurriedly back to the lawyer. He caught up quickly, eyes glistening with revere as the golden boy smiled indebtedly.

"I… Think I love you!"

The woman smacked him soundly on the back of the head earning a moan from the boy. "I don't appreciate that kind of humor, Mr. Heartnet. And I don't think your friend would either."

Train whimpered at the woman's coldness, but shut up nonetheless. Once at Creed's room, Train took a seat in his chair next to the boy, allowing the silver teen the pleasure of his touch as he reached for the golden teen's hand. It had been a sort of understanding Creed could take his hand whenever he felt he needed it. Subconsciously, Train rubbed his finger against the back of his partner's hand, ignorant of the gleeful screech his friend had emitted.

Charlotte chuckled at the two and put the cards she was holding down. The detective had decided to distract the teen with a deck of cards since he had been extremely stressed after his conversation with Sephiria and Train's departure. He relied on the boy a lot, so without him there she knew she needed to keep him calm.

Sephiria closed the door tightly and sat on the chair at the end of Creed's bed. She took out her notes and began to read them to herself, eyes not on the company in the room as she spoke.

"After speaking to you both and watching the video extensively, I'm confident I can get this settled out of court."

Train and Creed gaped at her for a second, then turned to Charlotte who raised her hands in defense. "Hey! I'm not a lawyer! I just bring the bad guys to the lawyers."

Sephiria eyed her friend coyly, "Yes. And I get them convicted. We make a good team."

Creed couldn't help but feel the chemistry between them and began to question if they really were just friends as they both claimed. Ignoring that thought, the silver teen turned curious, blue eyes to his lawyer.

"So… You're **confident** about that? Have you **met** Izo…?"

The long blonde smirked at the teen, "No… But I have yet to find a monster I couldn't slay."

She stood abruptly, straightening her jacket as she did so, tucking her notepad away in her briefcase. "I can't make you any promises, but I will be meeting with his lawyer tomorrow. My instincts tell me their conversation did not go nearly as well as ours did. He sounds like an impulsive, sick man, and I doubt his lawyer will be able to make him look any different on the stand. Afterall, it's him versus two high school seniors; one of them the top of their class. Who do you think a jury will feel more sympathetic for?"

In a flash, she was at the door, the company in the room hardly seeing her reach the handle. She turned to Charlotte and smiles faintly. "Thanks for giving me a call. It was nice hearing from you."

Another quick flash and she was gone, as if she had never been there. The detective chuckled from her corner and stood as well. "She's good, right?"

Creed smiled knowingly at the woman who had the decency to look embarrassed. With a pat on Creed's head and a finger salute to Train, she left as well.

Train whistled once they both left the room and collapsed in his chair. "Man, those are some **amazing** women, huh, Creed?"

The silver boy smiled and nodded, finally turning his attention to his food. His growling stomach wouldn't allow him to ignore it any longer. "Aren't you going to eat, Train?"

"Nah, I already did in the cafeteria. I figured you would be a while and I knew I was next, so I decided to eat a little early."

Creed frowned at his love. He enjoyed their meals together, but as long as Train was present, his meal could still be just as nice. The injured teen watched his friend lovingly as he ate, almost missing his mouth a few times in the process.

"Hey, Creed? Can I ask you a random question?"

Creed smiled. "Of course! Anything!"

The cat boy sat up a little in the chair, eyes remaining on the white walls. "Well, as you know, graduation is coming up faster than I expected. It sounds like you've got a pretty good setup for your future. I know you've been applying to colleges and scholarships non-stop, but… I haven't really thought about it at all…"

Creed frowned at his cat. "That's just because you live in the moment. You go with the flow and don't worry about the future. There's nothing wrong with that."

Train shook his head in disagreement. "While that may have worked for me up to this point, I don't think it'll get me through adulthood, which is pretty much where we're at right now. And I was having a conversation with-"

He stopped himself quickly before he said Oliver and thought for a minute. "-Saya, and h-she kind of made me realize I didn't have a plan, which sort of freaked me out."

"Well… If you just stick with me you'll never have to work again! I'll make sure to make enough money to take care of both of us!"

Train laughed as his friend gushed and bonked him on the head slightly. "Stop it. I'm being serious."

"I am too…" Creed pouted and rubbed his head dejectedly.

"You know what I mean. I need to be able to take care of myself. For once, I need to think of the future." Train put his feet on the edge of Creed's bed, much to the silver teen's distaste. "With everything that's been going on and after meeting Charlotte and seeing what a badass she is, I think I know what I want to do and I want your opinion…"

Creed blinked at his love, making the connection before Train could finish his statement. "You want to be a detective?"

Train nodded and peered at his friend from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge his reaction. After a moment's pause, Creed smiled faintly.

"That's not a bad idea. From what I know, and you can confirm this with Ms. Miller, starting jobs in that career usually only require a high school diploma. I know you don't really enjoy school, so that would fix that problem. After that, I think it depends what field you'd want to go in if you need further education." He tapped his chin as he spoke, as if that helped him think. "And if you will require further education, I think it will be an area you're interested in, which you always do better in. I've always thought the reason you never did well in school was because there wasn't anything to interest you."

He paused and looked at his cat. "Besides all that, despite how long it took you to piece together my feelings for you, you've actually always been acutely aware of the little things in life. You're good at reading body language, you're in **amazing** physical shape, and you have a strong sense of justice. This could be you becoming a professional bully fighter."

Train smiled blithely at his partner then stood up triumphantly, fist punching the air. "Alright, that settles it! I'll talk to Charlotte and see what would be ahead of me in this career!"

Creed watched his cat with adoration, happy he could give his beloved confidence. He resumed his meal as Train sat back down, a happy smile still on his face.

"By the way, how goes the college search?" Train asked eagerly, knowing his friend had been working hard on applications.

Creed wiped his lips delicately and placed it on his now empty tray. "Very well, actually. Pretty much every school I've looked at has shown interest in my application and a few have offered scholarships to get me to go there. Seems as though I have a good sob story."

At his hero's curious look, Creed elaborated. "Through my research about applying to schools, I've learned if you have a good story you can mention on the application, they take a far greater interest. It appears all the years of neglect from my mother, the fact that I needed to support myself my entire life, plus this ordeal has only made me that much more appealing."

Train grimaced at his friend. "That's… Kind of messed up, isn't it?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and pushed the tray away. "I guess, but if my messed up life can help lead me to a better one, then it will have been worth it."

He smiled at his cat and caressed his cheek slightly. "It really doesn't bother me, Train. I'll scream my story to the rooftops if it'll get me what I want."

Train felt a small blush grace his cheeks when he realized what Creed was implying. He chuckled a little and covered his face. "Again I'll tell you I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry about me."

"It's not about worry, it's about being ready in case life decides to kick you in the stomach again."

"Whatever…" Train said tiredly, but Creed noted the hint of playfulness in his tone. "I never actually asked you, what do you want to go to school for?"

"Law."

Train blinked at his friend. "Really? Isn't that like… a **lot** of schooling? And **really** expensive?"

Creed nodded. "Yes. I've been playing with the idea for a long time and after meeting Ms. Ark, I'm more confident it's the right choice. I'm tired of seeing so many terrible people get away with terrible things while good people suffer. Like Sephiria said, I want to rid the world of that filth, and what better way then to lock them up and throw away the key?"

A brilliant laugh escaped Train's lips. "Sounds like you have a role model too! Very well, lawyer it is! That'll bring in a decent paycheck. Maybe I can be a stay-at-home bum."

At Creed's enthusiastic smile, Train poked him in the shoulder. "It's a joke, Creed. Get out of your head."

A gentle knock at the door brought Creed out of his thoughts. As it peered open the silver teen then growled, noticing who was there.

Oliver eyed the empty tray on Creed's table. "I can take that if you're done."

Creed didn't reply, but lifted the tray in the air for him to get. He nurse did so, then walked over to the monitors, took some notes, checked his raised leg, and adjusted the pillows underneath it.

"Are you comfortable?"

Creed simply stared, confusion and uneasiness present in his blue orbs. "Um… Yes?"

Oliver nodded. "Good to hear. I'll be back later with some fresh blankets and pillows. In the meantime, rest. You're starting new medication tomorrow."

With that, the man left the room, not once even acknowledging Train's existence. Train sighed in relief. He had been eyeing the man densely the whole time, waiting for him to do or say something that would earn him a spot on the block list.

Creed squinted his eyes at the door, as if he was trying to figure something out. "That was weird…"

Train chuckled and patted his friend on the knee. "See? What did I tell you? Nothing to worry about."

At that moment, Train's phone vibrated, making him twitch a little. He groaned in frustration and snapped it close tightly, refusing to respond to the message.

Noticing his beloved's discomfort, Creed questioned the boy. "Who is it?"

Train folded his arms, refusing to make eye contact with his friend. "Just… Eve guilt tripping me again about not reading a book. She knows I won't, I don't know why she insists on trying."

Creed didn't really believe his cat, but before he could question it, Train changed the subject. "Where's your laptop?"

He eyed his love thickly, but pulled out his school assigned laptop from the table next to his bed. He was given one by the school at Train's behest. This allowed Creed the ability to continue applying to college, completing finals, and video chatting with his friends. He had spoken to Saya that way almost every day.

Train grabbed it from him quickly, not giving his friend a moment to protest. "Your password is what I think it is, right?"

Creed nodded and Train rolled his eyes. "It's a bit obvious, don't you think?"

The silver teen pouted playfully. "I like it and it's easy to remember. Besides, no one but you or me will be using it."

Train ignored his friend and typed in 'IloveTrainHearnet413' and immediately opened up a search browser. "You didn't have to use my birthday too."

Creed shrugged and leaned over his cat. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna start some research into what it takes to become a detective. What better time than now?"

Creed nodded in agreement and smiled at his love. "I'll help you."

It had grown dark as the two teens searched the internet. They had done some research into becoming a detective, but now fell into a meme hole. Train had left his chair hours ago and settled in comfortably next to Creed, that way the two of them could see the screen better. The silver boy was over the moon excited as he rested his head gently against Train's shoulder, ecstatic the golden boy did not push him away.

"Holy crap, did you see that?!" Train pointed to the screen and looked at his friend wildly, causing the silver boy to jolt away from his shoulder.

Creed watched the video of the dog halfheartedly, not really caring what was going to happen, just wanting to settle back into his cat.

He chuckled, "Yeah, that's something."

"You don't even care." Train said as he clicked the next video. This one was of a cat and baby.

"True." Creed said as he snuggled a little closer, enjoying his partner's warmth.

Both boys jumped when a ringing sound was heard over the laptop. A picture of Saya popped up and Train clicked the accept button happily.

"Yoooo! Saya! What's up?"

Saya beamed at her friend through the screen. "Hey, Train! Where's Creed?"

Train adjusted the laptop slightly so she could see the boy in question snuggled against his chest.

"Oho, what's this? Having a little… cuddle time?"

Train grunted at his friend. "No, we were watching videos and since Creed can't leave the bed, I came to him so he could see better."

Creed chimed in, leaning over his cat slightly to get a better view of Saya. "No, **Train** was watching videos. I was watching **him.** "

Saya laughed wholeheartedly at Train's blush and Creed's giggle, enjoying seeing Train pry the other teen off him squarely, Creed faking physical pain to get him to stop.

"Well, I don't want to interrupt, I just wanted to check in on Creed since I won't be able to for the next couple days."

Creed frowned as he settled back into his love. "Why not?"

"We're going away for the weekend. We won't have a signal, so I won't be able to connect to anyone."

Train placed the computer on Creed's lap and made a move to get off the bed. "Well, you guys have a little chat. I'm gonna go scrounge for some ice cream."

Creed sobbed at his beloved, "But, Train, the cafeteria is closed…"

His cat smiled cheekily at him, throwing his friend a playful wink he knew the boy loved. "I have my connection. You two have fun!"

Before Creed could protest more, Train left and headed down the hall. He knew the cafeteria was closed, but he wanted an excuse to get out of there and give his friend time to talk. Now he just needed to find a certain nurse so he could make good use of his supposed connections. The cat boy knew Oliver worked long and late hours, moreso since Creed had been here since he was assigned to work with him.

Stepping up to the nurse's station, he saw the young man sitting on top of a counter, joking around with a few of his co-workers. It was pretty quiet tonight, so it looked like they were making use of their spare time.

When Train approached one of the nurses poked Oliver playfully and gestured towards the teen. The small man jumped off the counter quickly, yelping gleefully.

"Hi, Train!" He said a bit too fervently, but Train chose to ignore it.

"Hey, I know it's late, but do you know where I can get ice cream?" He tried to address the whole staff, but they pretended to busy themselves with something meaningless so their little Oliver could handle it.

"Well… The cafeteria is closed, but I think we have some in the break room!"

Train smiled and gestured for the boy to pass. "Lead the way."

The young man blushed magnificently and walked pass Train, but not enough that he was too far ahead. He made sure he was close enough to Train that their hands even brushed together at one point, causing the brunette to move away.

When they reached the room Oliver knocked on the door quietly. "Sometimes we take naps in here, so we try to give each other a warning before walking in." Hearing no response, he took out some keys and unlocked the door. Opening it slowly, he peaked in quickly, then turned back to Train. "I've caught a few people doing **other** things in here before too, so I've learned to be extra careful."

Train didn't like that look Oliver gave him and questioned if this was a good idea after all. The golden teen grabbed the door above the shorter man's head and yanked it open violently. He leaned over and snapped the lights on.

"Hey, if there's any hanky panky going on in here, knock it off! I'm jonesing for some ice cream!"

Oliver panicked and covered his eyes just in case, but peaked through them when he heard no one respond. He sighed in relief and glanced up at Train who was sparkling jubilantly. The nurse smacked Train on the chest, flinching slightly as his small hand made contact with the teen's strong chest.

"Oh, God, he's hot too…"

Train ignored that comment since it was clear Oliver didn't realize he had said it outloud. He watched as the young man quickly made his way to the fridge, opening the freeze proudly. "Pick your poison!"

Train followed the nurse and stuck his head in the freezer, noticing they had a pretty large selection.

"We just celebrated a staff birthday, so there's a lot of treats left over. If you want cake we have some of that too!"

Train brushed the man away as he was feeling him get too close. "Nah, I told Creed ice cream. He'd be confused if I came back with cake as well."

Without thinking, Train grabbed the tub that was closest to him and shut the freezer. He smiled at Oliver as he turned towards the door. "Thank, buddy."

The nurse followed closely after him. "I-is there anything else I can get you?"

"Nope. Like I said, I told Creed ice cream, so that's all. Thanks!"

Again, Train tried to use his friend's name as often as possible to keep the eager nurse in his place. Before he left, he turned back to the small man and smiled one more time. "By the way, thank you for keeping your promise earlier."

Train ignored his welcoming shout as he left the room briskly. He didn't want to stick around for too long and give the man the wrong idea.

As he approached the door, he paused when he realized Saya and Creed were still talking.

"I just… I don't know what to do… After everything we've been through I thought there'd be something more happening… We might even be going through a court case together and **still** I don't see anything from him..."

Creed's voice sounded so sad that Train could barely take it. He pressed his ear harder against the door, struggling to hear Saya's voice.

"I know, Creed, I know… But, you know how he is. He doesn't understand emotions. After losing his parents, he kind of shut them off. Don't take it so personally, you've gotten farther than I ever did!"

Train heard Creed's melancholy chuckle and sigh. "I guess you're right, it's just…"

An arduous pause was shared between them. "It's just… I wish he felt **something** towards me… Anything…"

His words were shaking and Train realized in that moment how much it hurt Creed to not have the cat in the way he wanted. His frown deepened as he leaned against the door, not sure what to do. _I…_ _ **Do**_ _care… He needs to know at least that much…_

He stood up and opened the door carefully, but he alarmed a teary eyed Creed anyway who tried to cover his face with his arms. "Oh, Train. You're back. That was quicker than I thought."

"Creed... Is that really what you think?"

Creed stared at his beloved, then glanced down at Saya, who smiled. "I'll leave you two alone. Have a good night."

The boys heard a hang up sound, but their silent stare continued.

"Do… Do you really think I don't care at all?"

Creed grimaced a little at Train's tone of voice. There was a hint of anger there he didn't like. "I just… It's just… I don't know… I guess I'm just being needy again…"

Creed didn't look at his cat as he approached, eyes fixated on the empty screen, part of him hoping Saya would call back so he would have an excuse to not have this conversation right now.

Train placed a firm hand on his friend's shoulder, squeezing the way he knew the boy liked. "Creed… I **do** care… I care about you more than anyone else… More than Saya!"

As much as Creed wanted to look, he couldn't. "It's so hard… With everything going on and… having you even closer to me, but still so far has become nearly impossible to deal with... I don't know how much more of this I can take before I explode, and yet…"

His body convulsed with a hard sob as he tried to gain control of his emotions, "And yet… I **need** you.. I **need** your embraces. I **need** your attention and care now more than ever. I **can't** do this without you. It just… hurts so much to have you physically in my arms, but emotionally out of reach…"

Train watched his friend sob for a few seconds, then sighed and turned his friend's face so he was looking at the golden teen.

"I know what you want from me and… I'm sorry I'm not there. I'm sorry I'm not at the level you're at but you **need** to know how much I care about you. I wouldn't be spending every night here if I didn't care. I wouldn't be lying in bed next to you so you don't have night terrors if I didn't care. I wouldn't be chasing teachers and calling administration to get you extended leave from school if I didn't care. I wouldn't be hunting down love sick nurses to get you this-" Train dropped the ice cream in Creed's lap as proof. "-If I didn't care."

He paused and let Creed take in his words, watching his blue orbs swell with tears that shimmered in the dim lights of the hospital against his creamy skin.

Train smiled and placed both his hands on either side of the teen's face.

"I wouldn't be thinking about my future if it wasn't for you. Hell, I might not even **have** a future if it wasn't for you! I know I call you my best friend, but... I think you're more than that." He paused and thought about his next words carefully. "You're a part of me that I can't let go of. A part that if it ever left, I don't know what I would do…"

Train kneeled next to Creed who was continuing to shed silent tears as he gazed into his beloved's eyes. "I know what you want from me, and I'm sorry I can't give it to you. I'm so sorry it hurts you. I don't want to hurt you. But… Please know you have weaseled your way into a special part of my heart that no one has ever managed to do. You need to understand that I **do care**. More than you realize, apparently..."

Creed shook with a heavy sob at Train's words. He threw himself at his cat and cried into his broad chest. Train held his sobbing friend in his arms, choking back a few tears of his own.

"I love you, Train…"

Creed's words were filled with love, yet the pain hidden there couldn't be ignored. Train sighed shakily and tightened his hold on his friend.

"I know. And I'm so sorry. Just know I care… A **lot**.."

They stayed like that for a while until Train felt Creed cry himself to sleep. The cat boy took the ice cream off Creed's lap and placed it on his chair. Gently, he tucked his friend in and laid down next to him. He was absolutely positive if he didn't spend the night next to Creed, the boy would have night terrors again. And this time they would be **his** fault.

Train pulled the silver teen against his chest and held him tenderly, tickling his pallid skin the way he knew Creed loved. He took a shaky sigh, still feeling the pain he knew he was causing Creed and pressed the teen's head against his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Creed…."

* * *

Creed woke up in Train's tight embrace and refused to move. He could feel the tears that had dried on his face, but he didn't care. It was the weekend and he knew his beloved liked to sleep in so he knew moving wasn't an option. Instead, he decided to enjoy feeling his cat's arms wrapped around him and thought about Train's words from last night.

_His words were so kind, so loving, and yet… It's still not what I want. It's beautiful and I love every minute of his attention, but I know it's not for what I want it to be for._

Pity. What Train felt for Creed was pity, and the silver teen knew it. His love had a hard time placing his emotions, but Creed didn't. He knew what his cat felt for him was pity, which is why he let Creed lay in his arms like this.

_Because I'm so pathetic that I'll claw my own skin off in my sleep if he's not there, he needs to put himself in a precarious situation._

Creed knew it was precarious because he felt himself fall even harder for the boy. Harder than he thought was humanly possibly. He loved Train so utterly, so completely, so unconditionally that he would take whatever he could get from his beloved.

_Even if it's pity…_

The silver boy looked up at Train's peaceful face and sighed zealously. He pressed his body against Train's and slid his hand up to his cat's face. He gently traced the outline of his cheek and jaw, then ran his fingers longingly through his hair. Creed allowed his hand to stay there for a minute, enjoying the way his silky locks felt against his fragile digits.

He placed the side of his face against Train's neck, snuggling in as far as he could, his body tingling at the skin to skin contact. Doing so allowed him sight of the chair Train usually slept and noticed the uneaten ice cream was gone, a small stain adorning the leather and replaced with a new set of pillows and blankets.

That reminded Creed his nurse had said he would bring him a new set. The silver teen couldn't help but smile knowing the man had seen them sleeping together again.

_Train may not be mine, but I'll_ _ **die**_ _before he belongs to_ _ **him**_ _._

He felt Train moving against him and clutched a little harder, hoping his love wouldn't change their position. His cat chuckled when he felt Creed's desperate fingers and rubbed his back again.

"Don't worry, Creed, I'm not moving. I'm not even sure if I'm awake yet."

Creed sighed and pressed in hard, this time pressing his face against Train's collar bone and allowing his lips to feel the muscles there. His beloved didn't stop him and didn't care why he let Creed do this, as long as he could stay like this forever.

"Are you okay?"

His hero's quiet voice brought his eyes upwards to meet Train's concerned golden one. Creed nodded and settled back against him.

"Yes. I think I needed that cry… Thank you for being my comfort."

Train blinked at his friend, not liking the sad tone he heard. "You know it's not a chore for me, right Creed?"

Creed didn't respond, just buried himself harder in Train. The cat boy sighed and pulled his friend back slightly, enough so the injured teen was looking at him.

"Creed, you're not a chore. You're not putting me out at all. Believe it or not, I enjoy not sleeping alone either."

That seemed to work as he saw his friend brighten up a little. "Remember when we first started hanging out? I apologized for being physical with you. I've always been that way. And as long as I'm not hurting you, physically or emotionally, I'll keep you company as long as you want. You just let me know if it gets to be too much and I'm doing more harm than good."

Creed smiled lovingly at his cat, then snuggled back against his chest. "I'll never say no. You'll never hurt me so much I could say no to this."

Train chuckled and messed with his hair lightly before closing his eyes again, ready to go back to sleep. Before he could, the pair was interrupted by a knock. Train groaned tiredly and Creed growled angrily.

Creed thought maybe if he didn't move, he and his cat could stay like this all day. The idea was short lived as the door opened anyway, Oliver entering quietly so as not to disturb them. When he stepped in the room, Creed made his position with Train more obvious, the cat teen already starting to fall back asleep despite the present company.

Shockingly, Oliver ignored their position and addressed Creed. "Ms. Arks and Ms. Miller are here to see you."

The young nurse pushed the door open to allow the women entry. He left without a word, also confusing Creed, but he was happy nonetheless.

Charlotte took her hat off and Sephiria walked briskly over to the duo. Seeing Train was still asleep, she frowned and slammed her briefcase on the ground loudly, jolting the boy awake and out of Creed's arms.

"What?! Where's the fire?!" He shouted, sitting up and looking around like a madman.

Sephiria sat at the foot of the bed. "Oh, good. You're awake."

As much as Creed respected the woman, he still glared at her as he tried desperately to reclaim his spot against Train's chest. The golden teen was sitting up now, wiping the crust from his eyes. The silver teen decided to lean against the side of his beloved's arm, resting his hands on Train's lap.

"So, I spoke with Mr. Ito's lawyer. Very quick conversation as I expected."

Boy teens looked at her wearily, bracing themselves for her next words.

She smiled coolly. "They want to settle."

Creed smiled and Train frowned.

"What does that mean?" The cat questioned uneasily. He was pretty sure he knew what she meant, but he needed to hear it.

Sephiria eyed him proudly, "It means we won't be going to court."

Train blinked at the woman as Creed hugged him tightly. After a few seconds, he hugged him back and hooted wildly. He knew first hand what it was like to have to sit through a case this bad, and he was overjoyed his friend wouldn't have to do it.

The tall blonde ignored the two, continuing with her business. "I wasn't surprised to hear that at all. Izo Ito's lawyer said he was impossible to work with. His story didn't make sense and changed every time they spoke. They even tried to talk to your mother, but she refused to sober up for a decent conversation."

Sephiria opened her case and produced some papers. "Here's the deal they are offering: Mr. Ito will serve four years in prison, without probation or bail. Your mother will serve five years for child endangerment. In return, when they are released you are both to stay at least ninety-five meters from them and you will immediately leave the residence you currently share with your mother."

Creed stared at her, mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but no words coming out. Train decided to speak for him.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute… You're telling me that not only are they **both** going to jail, but we never have to see or hear from them again after they come out?"

Sephiria nodded. "Apparently your mother doesn't want anything more to do with the whole situation. The only thing that comforted her was knowing Mr. Diskence would not be staying in that apartment."

Train felt his friend tense against him. It suddenly hit him how messed up that actually was.

_That woman is willing to go to jail as long as it means her son is homeless?_

Train hugged his friend tightly. "That won't be a problem at all, since he'll be staying with me anyway."

Creed's eyes jolted up to his beloved, joy apparent in their crystal depths. "But, Train…"

The cat boy stopped him. "I know my situation isn't exactly 'settled' right now, but we'll figure something out together. I'll die before you are homeless."

Unable to control himself, Creed cried into his beloved's chest, not caring what the women in the room thought. He suddenly felt Charlotte's comforting hand on his back.

"That's a good partner you have right there…" Her words were kind and sincere. Creed appreciated her more than she knew.

Sephiria stood and handed the papers to Train. "I assume that means you'll sign this?"

Train nodded and took the papers quickly. "Hell yeah, we will!"

There was one set for Train and one set for Creed. Apparently Izo had made sure both boys had signed the papers, since he blamed Train for the whole situation anyway. The golden teen didn't care. He hadn't planned on ever seeing the man again unless it was in court.

Sephiria nodded and she placed the papers back in her briefcase. "Alright, that's all." She stood one last time and offered her hand to Train. "I told you we'd lock that filth away."

Train shook her hand proudly, a huge smile on his tanned lips. She then pivoted towards Creed, who seemed to be in a daze, as if he wondered if this was a dream. The tall woman knelt down so their eyes met and smiled genially.

"It's over, Creed. They'll never be able to hurt you again."

Creed starred in her hard, but gentle eyes and saw the concern there. He smiled back at her and shook her hand gratefully.

"Thank you… Thank you so much…"

With a nod she left, just as quickly as she had come. Off to save the next victims from a terrible monster.

When she left, Charlotte smiled at the boys. "We did it, boys! And we didn't have to go to court!"

She was extremely grateful to Sephiria for that. Train had already been through a murder trial when he was too young to truly understand anything and Creed was so traumatized she didn't know how he would handle such an event.

She shook both the boys hands and left the room quickly. Smiling one last time at the happy teens, she left, silently wishing them the best.

Train yowled as soon as they left and collapsed against the bed. He punched the air triumphantly and laughed loudly. "We have to tell the others!"

He spoke quickly and reached for his phone. Creed stopped him before his cat got ahead of himself. Train frowned at his friend's arm that held him still. "What's up, Creed?"

His partner looked relieved, but concerned. "Train… About what you said…" He paused, seeming to think about his words. "Are you… Are you sure you want to be stuck with me…? Possibly forever…?"

Train gawked at his friend, not sure he had heard him correctly. "Are you kidding me?"

Creed flinched at his love, waiting for the rejection, for the hurt…

Instead, the silver teen was met with a playful, gentle noogie. "Of course I'm sure! You think I'm gonna let you go **that** easy? Like I said, I'll die before I'll let you be homeless."

Creed felt his eyes fill with tears again. He launched himself at his love once more, this time shedding tears of joy. Train hugged him tightly, feeling his already tear ridden shirt soak with more tears. Except this time, the tears didn't make him feel guilty.

"I may not know what the future holds, but I know you'll be in it, Creed. I won't let you be alone anymore."

Creed smiled against his love, still sobbing happily. "And I won't let you be alone either."


	16. Graduation

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

** Graduation **

"The day has finally arrived!"

Creed smiled at his beloved who had, quite literally, burst into his hospital room very obstreperously, waving a blue cap and gown buoyantly in the air. The silver teen giggled as his cat cheerfully placed the cap on his head and the gown against his chest. Still smiling amiably, Creed looked at his love's face.

"Train, graduation isn't until Friday, we still have two days."

The cat boy didn't seem to care as he hummed the "Coronation March" to himself, placing his friend's tassel from one side of the cap to the other. Creed frowned at the dangling object as it tickled his nose slightly. He huffed it out of his face as Train took a seat next to him, Creed's laptop on his lap. The golden teen's arm had just been freed of its itchy prison, and the boy was happy to be able to type normally.

"I'm aware of what day it is, Creed. I'm just happy your gown finally came in. I was beginning to worry it would never get here. The top graduate of our class can't walk down the aisle naked! Scratch that, the student with the highest grades in a decade can't walk down the aisle naked!"

_Top in a decade… That's still strange to hear._

Creed watched his beloved as he became stuck in his thoughts. When the silver teen received the news that not only was he top in the class, but had set a record for highest marks in a decade, Train wouldn't shut up about it. His love was both shocked and overjoyed. Creed, however, didn't see the big deal.

_High school was_ _ **so**_ _easy… Life, however, is quite difficult._ As he thought this, he eyed his cat painfully, his smile turning into a frown as he removed the cap and gown from himself, placing it on the table next to his bed.

"Train… You know I won't be walking… Doctor Kanzaki said I'll be here for at least another two weeks."

This altered the golden teen's mood slightly as he eyed his friend pensively. "I know, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate! It's been a long year for both of us, but it's **finally** over!"

Train messed with his hair, putting a smile back on his face. "Yes… It has been a rough one, hasn't it?"

_Despite all the terrible things that have happened this year, it's somehow been the greatest year of my life. I was able to tell Train how I felt, became closer to him than I ever dreamed, and even made friends of my own._

"Oy, Train! Do you have to be so loud? I just got an ear full from Kanzaki about **your** behavior! As if I'm your caretaker!"

Right on cue, Sven and Eve walked in, both looking annoyed with the cat. Train shrugged his shoulders as he rested his feet on Creed's bed, earning a disgusted scowl from his silver friend.

"You mean you aren't? Darnit! Guess I need to change my emergency contact information." Train looked at his green friend from the corner of his eye, seeing he was still angry with him. "Don't censor my emotions, Sven! Let me feel my feelings!"

Creed giggled as he watched his beloved flail his arms in the air dramatically, taking a moment to enjoy the company of his friends and loved one. The moment was disrupted by another giggle, one Creed had grown to know well and did not like at all.

Oliver was standing at the door, laughing at his crush's antics despite himself. Doctor Kanzaki was at his side, looking very irritated. When the nurse noticed the look on Train's face, he immediately changed his stature to be more professional, muttering apologies, but still couldn't help the small blush on his face. Sven did not notice this as he was too preoccupied with knocking Train's feet off Creed's bed, the cat yelping loudly as he did so, as if the gesture hurt.

Eve, however, did see the young man's blush. She glanced at the silver teen from the corner of her eye, noticing the angry look. She made a look of her own at Oliver, which Creed saw and smiled at.

Kanzaki glanced around the room at the fuming Sven, the pouting Train, the blushing Oliver, and the glowering Creed and Eve grew even more annoyed. He slammed Creed's chart against the wall loudly, causing all young adults in the room to jump. The doctor scowled at them, which changed into a creepy smile.

"Are we done? I would like to do my job if you don't mind."

Everyone in the room became silent and avoided the doctor's gaze as he opened Creed's chart, eyeing the monitors the teen was attached to. Only one was needed now, as the teen was getting stronger and stronger each day.

Train couldn't help but notice that Kanzaki's creepy smile was still present and shuttered.

_Man, does he even know what a smile_ _**is** _ _? I feel like he's trying to be comforting, but he's doing the exact opposite!_

"Cold, Mr. Heartnet?"

The cat boy twitched a little as the doctor spoke to him, but never looked at him. Train occupied himself with Creed's laptop that was still sitting on his thighs, choosing to ignore the older man's comment. He decided a video of a dog chasing its own tail was more pertinent at the moment.

The doctor turned to Creed, eyes still flipping through his chart as he spoke. "Well, everything is looking great. You've recovered very well, faster than I thought. I think you'll be able to leave here sooner than anticipated."

Train stood suddenly, raising the opened laptop high above his head as he jumped theatrically out of his chair and gave the scary doctor a hopeful, puppy dog look.

"Does that mean he'll get to walk on Friday?!"

"No… Mr. Hearnet, not that soon."

None of the young adults in the room seemed to hear the doctor. Creed was laughing, but also telling his beloved to put his laptop down, Sven was smacking the cat boy on the head and taking the technology from him forcefully, Eve was hiding her embarrassment in her face and Oliver was giggling and blushing brightly at Train's antics.

Kanzaki's eyes twitched as he furrowed his brows. Again, he slammed his clipboard, his time on the bar of Creed's bed, once against alarming everyone in the room. Train sat quickly, folding his hands innocently as Sven shut the laptop quietly.

"God, I hate kids…" He looked at Oliver fiercely, knowing full well his nurse should have known better than indulge himself in unprofessional, childlike behavior. Even if it was just a giggle, he didn't care for his fondness for that cat boy.

He cleared his throat and straightened up. "As I was saying, Mr. Diskence will be able to leave sooner than I expected, but not **that** soon. I think most likely in a week."

Oliver, who had busied himself adjusting Creed's pillows under his leg, frowned slightly. "A week?" He said it in a whisper, but the doctor was still able to hear it.

"Yes. A week. You knew this day would come, I told you not to get attached."

Before Creed could get too upset at the nurse, Train jumped up again, this time less dramatically as the doctor shot him another angry look.

"A week! Did you hear that, Creed! You'll be home in a week!"

Train was shaking his friend's shoulders, which Sven stopped immediately when he saw Kanzaki about to hit the golden boy with his clipboard. Creed smiled at the room, then nodded at the doctor.

"Thank you. For everything."

Kanzaki returned his nod and made his way towards the door. "Mr. Heartnet, it's my understanding he'll be staying with you after he's discharged, correct?"

Train ended his slap fight with Sven and addressed the doctor. "Huh? Yes! Yes, that's right. Creed's gonna be my new roommate!"

He was on top of his silver friend now, giving him a playful noogie which Creed fell into and smiled. Kanzaki rolled his eyes and glimpsed at his chart quickly.

"We'll need an updated address for our records then. Mr. Oliver, please obtain that from Mr. Heartnet before the boy leaves for the day."

He left quickly, not bothering to wait for his nurse to follow. Oliver hadn't as he turned merrily to Train, happy to have an excuse to talk to him while Creed was around.

"Mr. Heartnet, would you mind accompanying me so we can take care of some paperwork?"

Train felt his friend stiffen under his arms and frowned. "Umm… Later? I'm here visiting Creed right now. And as you can see we have company." He gestured to Sven and Eve, who had both taken a seat in the empty chairs in the room. "You know I'll be here all night, there's no rush, right?"

The cat boy smiled at the frowning nurse. Oliver nodded sadly and left the room, closing the door silently behind him. Train felt Creed relax and messed with his hair one more time before snatching the laptop back from a miffed Sven. The green teen sighed at his golden friend, but didn't fight him any further.

"What exactly is so important that you need Creed's laptop for?"

Without looking at Sven, Train responded. "I'm setting up a live stream of our graduation for Creed. Just because he can't be there physically doesn't mean he can't be there in spirit. Lil' Princess' family has a really nice set up we can use."

_Sometimes I forget how rich they are_. Train thought to himself, pulling up the software needed for the project.

Eve nodded and then took a place next to the cat, making sure he was installing the correct program. "I told you this yesterday, Sven, don't you listen to me anymore?"

Train laughed and looked at Sven over the laptop. "Already becoming a bitter, old married couple, are you?"

The blonde beauty scoffed at her feline friend. "Far from it. He just gets distracted easily when we're alone."

Sven blushed and sputtered loudly, looking at his girlfriend in shock. "D-do you have to be so blunt?!"

Train was laughing with his whole body which caused Eve to take the laptop away from him again. Creed covered his mouth as he chuckled vibrantly, looking at his female friend from the corner of his eyes. She was smiling a little, clearly enjoying her boyfriend's discomfort.

However, Creed decided to spare his green friend and changed the subject. "Train, you really didn't have to do this. I don't mind not being there. I got **almost** everything I wanted out of that building."

Train smiled sadly as his friend emphasised the word "almost" knowing **he** was the one thing he did not get. "Well, **I** would feel more comfortable knowing you were at least watching us. It's bad enough you don't get to make your valedictorian speech. I can't believe they're letting Aria do it."

Aria was graduating second in class. She had quietly been competing this Creed all year for that top spot, but considering Creed's GPA had been an unwavering 4.0 since freshman year, there was no way the girl would ever beat him. When she found out Creed couldn't be there and she would be giving a speech, she nearly passed out from excitement. Train was irked by her enthusiasm to no end, since she didn't seem to care about the reason **why** he wouldn't be there.

Seeing his beloved's scowl, Creed patted his friend lovingly on the shoulder. "I really don't mind, Train. Everyone is making such a big deal out of graduating first, but to be honest, I don't see the big deal. It really wasn't that hard."

Train eyed him weakly, "I hate when you subtly rub your genius in my face…"

Sven laughed at his feline friend. "Hey, don't blame the Silver Dollar for your insecurities. Besides, it's not his fault high school was a breeze for him."

Creed shrugged and leaned over Train and Eve, trying to see what they were doing on his laptop. "Honestly, even if I was there, I was going to offer the speech to Aria. I knew how much it meant to her and I really didn't want to speak in front of a group of people that don't even know who I am."

Train rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Yeah, alright, whatever. This doesn't change anything about the live stream. **I** want to know that you're there. I don't really want to be there without you."

Creed smiling adoringly at his cat. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

His love shook his head, eyes remaining on the screen. "No, it's true. I don't really see the point in walking if my best friend can't walk with me."

The silver teen's smile didn't fade as he continued gazing fondly at his cat. "Thank you, Train. You really don't know how much that means to me. But, you **have** to walk. I always knew I would graduate, but for you, it's been an uphill battle and I refuse to be the rock that prevents you from reaching the top."

Train returned his friend's smile, "You're not a rock that will trip me, you're the rope that will pull me to the end."

As the two looked at each other, Eve smiled and then clapped her hands between them. "Would you two stop making googly eyes and flirt on your own time? We're almost done installing this thing."

Train blushed intensely and stammered incoherently at the girl. Creed, on the other hand, smiled happily at Eve as they shared a look with one another. She tried to point out the intimacy of their relationship as often as she could to hopefully make the cat see what they could be together. Creed appreciated this and she knew it.

Handing the laptop to Train she stood away from the duo. "It should be ready in about an hour. Why don't you cuddle your 'friend' while you wait for it to finish? That should kill some time."

The young girl tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder, who was currently distracted with his phone. He followed her as he walked to the door, waving to his friends as they left.

"We'll bring back burgers tonight!" Sven said, just before he shut the door.

Train's face was hot and red when they left the room and Creed eyed him adorably, hoping his love would actually take Eve's advice. He even moved over a little, making room for his cat. Train was ignorant of this gesture as he covered his face with his hands, sighing loudly and shakily.

"Why does he have to do that…?" Train said to himself, but aware Creed could hear him.

"Because it's true and your reactions are just so cute." He pinched his beloved's cheek playfully and Train smacked his hand away.

The cat boy brought up a video streaming service, pulling up a show they had been binging recently. Eve's family had given her permission to give them the password to all their streaming services while Creed was in the hospital and the pair had been watching as much as they could, knowing this wouldn't last forever.

The cat lightly jumped onto Creed's bed, taking the empty spot he had made for his golden love. Train didn't even question it as he occupied the spot almost automatically, feeling his silver friend rest his head lovingly on his broad shoulder, not minding that gesture either. It would have been weird if Creed hadn't assumed the position.

"Outlaw Exterminators?" Creed asked, as he snuggled closing against his cat.

Train nodded, "Yeah, we're almost done. Can't wait to see what happens to Johnathan!"

The cat boy could feel his friend frown against his shoulder as Creed wrapped his arms around Train's arm. "I don't like him…."

Train laughed and patted his friend on the head. "You don't like anyone. Just shut up and watch."

Creed smiled and gazed at his beloved for a moment, making sure to memorize his features before looking back at the screen. He pressed his cheek against Train's chest now, getting a better view of the screen as he listened blissfully to his hero's heart beat.

* * *

"No! Train, don't click it! Saya will **kill us!** "

Train sighed and clicked on a different browser instead, making sure the software from hours ago had finished installing. "We're already so far ahead of her. Why does she care if we finish it without her?"

Creed frowned at his beloved. "It's the principal, Train. We promised we'd watch the finale with her."

Another annoyed sigh and Train closed the laptop soundly. "Fine. We'll tell her to hurry up so we can watch it together."

A knock at the door followed by a hand holding a bag of food stopped Train's thought. "I'm coming in, make yourselves decent!"

Train grumbled at his friend's comment and Creed giggled. Sven peaked his head in the room then turned and spoke to Eve who was standing behind him.

"Their clothed, we can come in."

A blushing Train threw a pillow at his friend. "Shut up and give me my food!"

Sven dodged the pillow and threw a burger at Train who caught it and begrudgingly began to unwrap it. Eve walked in and handed another bag to Creed, who smiled thankfully at the girl and began unwrapping his own. The couple took a seat on either side of the bed, eating their meals as well.

"Whatcha watchin'?" Sven asked between bites, glancing the laptop, knowing his two friends had created a habit of watching as much as they could before Eve's parents took that privilege away.

"Outlaw Exterminators." Train said through a mouthful of food, causing Creed to grimace and wipe his love's mouth. Train smacked his friend's hand away, taking another bite out of spite.

Eve gasped as he poked at her salad. "Oh! Did you get to the part where-"

"Yes." Both boys said tiredly.

"What about-" Sven started, but was interrupted by the teens again.

"Yes!"

"Well, did you finish it?" Even questioned.

"No…" They said in unison one more time, both looking gloomy.

"Saya said she would kill us if we finished it without her and this one-" Train thumbed at Creed, who tried to bite his finger. "-Refuses to break the promise. I told him she's too far away to do anything, but he's so stubborn."

Creed elbowed his friend jokingly. " **I'm** stubborn?! Look who's talking!"

Train yelped at the elbow then pounced lightly on his friend, still being careful of his condition. He was giving him a pretty hard noogie, making Eve smile coyly.

"What did I say about flirting on your own time?"

Train froze at her statement and slowly let go of Creed, much to the boy's grief. However, the silver teen smiled when he saw Train's beautiful blush, happy his beloved was being called out for his behavior again.

The cat boy ignored a silently gushed Creed as another knock came from the door.

"Enter!" Train said in a booming voice, as if he were inviting someone into a grand ball.

Oliver stepped in, laughing at his crush's flamboyant words. "Mr. Heartnet, I know you said I could get the address later, but I actually will be leaving earlier than normal tonight. Since Mr. Diskence will be discharged soon, my caseload is changing which will change my schedule. If you don't mind, I would like to get that information from you sooner rather than later."

Creed growled at the nurse. "Why can't you just get it from me? Or while he's here?"

Oliver twitched a little at his patient's tone of voice, but smiled despite it. "Well, there are a few other documents Train needs to fill out as well, since you'll be staying with him. I know you're both of age, but since Train is now your emergency contact, there's more paperwork he needs to fill out."

The silver teen growled every time he heard Oliver use Train's first name, not accepting his answer as a good enough excuse to take Train away. Before Creed could protest further, his cat put the laptop in his lap and stood from the bed. Creed made a motion to grab his beloved, who dodged it readily, smiling down at his friend.

"It's fine, Creed. I won't be long. Sven and Eve can occupy you in the meantime. Plus, Saya will be calling soon, right? Tell her to watch the damn show so we can finish it already!"

He watched as his cat walked over to the nurse, smiling. Creed felt a whimper escape his control when he saw Train smack him playfully on the back, forcing him through the doorway before him. The injured teen tried to ignore their voices in the hallway, but he was able to clearly hear his love teasing the young man and the nurse obviously enjoying every minute of it.

Eve frowned at her friend. She took out a brush from her purse and kneeled on his bed, fixing his hair as she often did. "Don't worry, Creed. Train is just a friendly person. You know it doesn't mean anything."

Creed frowned and leaned back into his friend, trying to relax his body through the comforting gesture. "I know… but that nurse doesn't know that… He enjoys it too much."

Sven chuckled from the corner, reading a newspaper no one had seen him bring in. The green teen knew that 'he' was the lovestricken nurse.

"Have you not noticed how long it took for Train to get to this comfort level with you? Our cat isn't going to fall for some guy he just met a month ago." The teen said, flipping through the pages casually.

Eve nodded her head in agreement, working out a tangle in his silver locks. "That's true. Don't worry, Creed. It'll be fine."

Creed sighed and shut his eyes, allowing his imagination to drift to thoughts of strangling a certain adoring nurse. He jumped a little and out of Eve's reach when a ringing sound came from his laptop. He opened it quickly, already knowing who was phoning him.

"Hey, Saya!" He tried to sound cheerful, but he couldn't hide the bit of sadness in his voice.

Saya, knowing all her friends very well, frowned through the screen at him. "What's wrong? Who do I need to punch?"

Creed chuckled and waved his friend's fears away. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

The girl glowered at him. "It's that nurse again, isn't it? Next time he comes in I'll let him have it!"

Eve rolled her eyes and sat behind Creed on the bed, determined to get this last knot if it was the last thing she did. "Now, Saya, we just finished this conversation. Let's not get him rattled up again."

Creed winced a little as the girl worked his hair. "I'm fine, Saya, really. Don't worry. What's going on with you?"

"I just got back from a date!"

Eve and Sven were now on either side of Creed, nearly pushing him out of Saya's sight.

"What?!" The couple asked in unison and Creed pushed them out of the way.

"Was it with who I'm thinking of…" Creed questioned playfully. Saya had been talking a lot about someone recently, so the silver teen was pretty sure he was right.

The girl nodded. "Lucia. Yes."

Eve was suddenly all Saya could see as the blonde teen had taken the laptop from Creed. "Why did you not tell me about her?!"

Saya laughed loudly at her friend. "Because we don't have a set schedule to talk like I do with Creed and Train. It's hard to keep up with all of you!"

The young girl sighed and gave her back to a bitter Creed. He changed his expression to a smile as he addressed his long distance friend. "How did it go?"

Saya blushed, something the confident girl hadn't really been known to do. "It went… Well… Let's just say, there will be another date soon!"

Creed's smile became even warmer. "That's great. I know you've been trying to get her for a while. I'm glad it finally happened for you."

The teal eyed teen frowned at her friend, hearing the sadness in his voice return. "Don't worry, Creed, it'll happen for you too."

The door to his room opened and Creed watched as his beloved tried to enter. He noticed Train had been practically prying Oliver off his arm, all while trying to be as polite as possible. The nurse didn't seem to mind how uncomfortable his golden love was as he tried to come up with every excuse in the book to get Train to stay out of the room.

"Oh! Do you want more ice cream? Or milk? The cafeteria is closed, but there's plenty in the break room. I think it's vacant as well…"

Train smiled awkwardly at the nurse, obviously trying to let the man down gently. "No, I'm good, thanks!" The cat boy whispered his words, hoping Creed could not hear his exchange.

Oliver frowned and tried to pull a little more, whispering his words as well, trying to keep his promise to his crush. "Since when are you okay **without** milk?"

The feline teen sweatdropped, using his other hand to remove the eager nurse from his wrist. "Really, I'm good. Oh, is that Saya's voice I hear?"

He peeked his head into the room, trying to change the subject and alert the nurse they now had an audience.

"It's meeeee!" The girls yelled excitedly, then scowled angrily. "Creed, is that him? Let me at 'em! I'll put him in his place! Who does that son-of-a-bi-"

Creed hastily hit the mute button, not wanting Saya to make things worse than they were. He threw his beloved the best smile he could, trying to mask the fury he felt.

"Yes, Train. It's her. Come sit." Creed patted the side of his bed again, showing Train he had kept his spot open for him.

His cat smiled, also trying to hide what was going on behind the door, but also couldn't help but laugh at his female friend's harsh words. He turned to Oliver one last time, smiling as cordially as he could. "Gotta go! Your shift is about to end anyway!"

Train was able to peel the young man off his wrist and closed the door quickly, learning his hands against it languidly. He panted quietly, as if he had fought off a rabid wolf intent on getting its prey. The cat boy turned quickly to Creed, hiding his distress by flattening his shirt.

Creed smiled at his beloved and hit the unmute button on his passionate friend. "-And another thing! Creed is the best thing that ever happened to Train and he better accept it!"

The room was silent for a minute as Saya caught her breath. Eve finally broke the silence with a light giggle, followed by Sven who sputtered out a louded chuckle, then Creed who laughed boisterously as Train tried to hide in his own shirt, knowing the laughter was more at his expense than Saya's words.

"Why can't I gain control of my life…" He said as he pulled his shirt over his face, desperately trying to ignore the rising laughter in the room.

Creed stopped first, wiping his eyes a little as he watched his love skulk against the door. "That's what you get for being so charismatic, Train."

His cat looked at him indignantly as he peaked his golden orbs out from his shirt. This silver friend smiled and patted the bed again, beckoning his beloved to lay beside him. Train gave him one more dirty look before he reclaimed his spot next to his friend.

Train took the laptop and pouted. "Saya, they're laughing at me again…"

"Good. You need to be kept in line."

They all laughed one more time as Train angrily gave her back to Creed, who addressed the girl on the screen. "Oh, by the way Saya, Train told me to tell you to catch up on Outlaw Exterminators so we ca-"

"DID YOU FINISH IT WITHOUT ME!?"

"No!" Both boys said together at the teal girl's fury.

Saya nodded. "Good. I actually just caught up yesterday. Do you want to watch it now?"

Train eyed her wearily as he checked the clock on the wall. "Isn't it like… really late there? Or early, whatever."

The playful teen shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, whatever. My sleep schedule has been all messed up since Creed's been in the hospital. I can stay up a bit longer."

Sven pulled his chair closer to the bed as he discarded the now finished newspaper. "Eve and I have already seen it, but that episode is so good, I could watch it again."

Eve sat on his lap and faced the screen as well. "I can't wait for you guys to see-"

"SHUT UP!" All three of them yelled, Creed immediately feeling bad and apologizing, Saya and Train glaring daggers at her.

The group then watched as Saya took control of Creed's laptop, pulling up her own streaming service as she shared her screen with her friends, pressing play on the final episode.

The silver teen cuddled against the golden teen again, who had given him more access to his chest as he put his arm on the back of Creed's bed. The injured boy couldn't help but smile at the gesture.

_Is this position inadvertent, or subconscious?_

He didn't care which it was, he wasn't going to let this moment slip by. He planted his face against his cat's chest, making sure his ear was over his heart so he could feel it vibrate lightly against his face. When Creed heard it skip a beat, his smile widened and he took that as an inch, which meant he could take a mile.

Creed hurriedly wrapped his arms around Train's waist, pulling himself closer to his precious cat. He then took his foot and hooked it around his beloved's ankle, pressing their knees and thighs together as closely as he could.

As the silver boy watched the opening credits end, he tried to push his chest closer to his beloved's side, nuzzling his face as far as he could into Train's chest. Creed glanced at Sven and Eve who were also cuddling the best they could in their small chair. He sighed peacefully, relaxing even more into the love of his life, now ready to enjoy his favorite show with his favorite people.

* * *

The silver teen sighed sadly as he watched his friends get ready for graduation. They were all at Eve's house, except for Creed of course. They were currently getting dressed in their best attire for the event. Creed was on a large screen facing the young blonde's living room.

Creed smiled at the group, trying to hide his sadness. Now that the day had come, he was beginning to realize how much he wanted to be there with his friends. Blue orbs watched as Eve tightened her boyfriend's tie, the green teen making a gagging motion as she did so.

"Hey, Creed!"

The injured boy jumped a little at his beloved's sudden appearance. He had stepped off the screen while he got his shirt and pants, so Creed wasn't able to see him until just now. Creed swallowed and squirmed a little at his cat, seeing that the golden teen did not finish buttoning up his shirt. A warmth began to swim to his nether regions as his eyes scanned his golden love's body, all other senses going numb as he lustfully took in all he could see of his cat.

"Yo! Creed! Are you listening to me?" Train snapped his fingers at the camera, snapping Creed's attention back to his face.

The injured teen smiled happily in Train's golden irises. _Still just as a beautiful scene…_

He still felt the same warmth in his body as he spoke to Train and his voice gave it away. "Yes, Train…"

The feline boy rolled his eyes as he realized what his friend was distracted by. He began buttoning his shirt, so as not to further deter his shameless friend.

"I was saying this live feed is different then the feed we have set up for the ceremony. Tanaka-san said she would have it ready to go by the time we get there. In fact, if you click the link I sent you, it should open you up to an empty stage."

Creed pouted at this, not wanting to miss a second of his cat getting ready for the big day. Train sighed and rubbed his eyes, "It won't interrupt this feed if you open it in a new tab. You know that, Creed."

Creed was hesitant, but tested this theory anyway by clicking the other link his hero had sent him. He saw a few teachers walking across the stage, setting up chairs and testing the microphone. Quickly, the boy went back to his beloved, a little panicked he had lost him. Seeing Train's cheeky smile calmed him, and he smiled in return.

"See? Told you!"

"Train! Are you wearing **my** shirt?!"

Creed watched as his cat turned from the screen and towards the voice. He could see Jenos standing in the background, pantless with a t-shirt on, looking angry and panicked. Train looked down at himself, realizing he wasn't able to button past his chest. With a disgruntled sigh, Train turned his back to the camera and unbuttoned the shirt again.

"Yeah, it doesn't fit. Look, it's even tight in the arms!"

Jenos screamed loudly as Train flexed while Creed swooned, feeling the warmth in his gut grow harder this time.

"Stop it! You're gonna rip it!"

Train dodged his friend, removing the shirt and throwing it at the boy. Jenos was not satisfied as he launched himself at the obnoxious cat, who once again dodged gracefully. Seeing that tactic didn't work, Jenos grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at Train. The cat boy grabbed another pillow as he jumped onto a recliner, using it as a shield to block Jenos' attack.

"Hey, you got your shirt back, unharmed! What's with the assault?"

Jenos growled at the teen one more time before inspecting his shirt. Seeing a small rip he jumped at Train again, holding the sleeve in his face. Train was now standing, shirtless, on the recliner's surface with Jenos leaning against the arm.

"Unharmed!? What do you call this then! You ripped it with your little **show** and it's the only one I have!"

Trained squinted as if he couldn't see the other teen's finger poking through the very obvious hole. "Ah... That was there when I got it."

Jenos fumed. "You didn't even know it wasn't yours until a second ago!"

He went to bat at the cat again who ducked quickly, sticking his tongue out at his friend. Before Jenos could make another attack, a different shirt was thrown at the side of his head.

"Relax, jerk, I packed you another one!"

Jenos and Train barely heard Rinslet speak as the shirt had caused an unstable Jenos to fall against the recliner, forcing it backwards. Train fell backwards as well, unable to find his balance before the chair did what it was built to do. Jenos fell on the floor next to him, Train staring at the ceiling, Jenos' face flat on the floor.

Eve, finally feeling satisfied with the way her boyfriend looked, turned to face the trio, ignoring Sven as he loosened the tie a little.

"Do you know how hard it was to convince my parents to let you get ready here? This is the only room with no valuables in it!"

The boys on the floor twitched in response, Rinslet turning and apologizing profusely to the girl. Creed had watched his whole event unfold through the confines of his room. There were moments he was delighted and moments he was scared. He felt himself moan pleasurably as he watched his beloved stand in full view of the camera shirtless, but then cried out in fear as the same boy fell to the ground.

"Train?! Are you okay?!" Creed called out, clutching the screen as if it were his cat. He couldn't see him beyond the chair, and he was worried he had hit his head.

A lazy thumb being thrust in the air calmed the teen down. Train stood slowly, pulling an unwilling Jenos with him.

Rinlset, seeing her boyfriend's shirt lying uselessly on the floor, threw it more gently at his face. "Here, put this on! And get some pants on while you're at it!"

He nodded and complied, heading to the bathroom so as not to further enrage his girlfriend. Rinslet began cleaning up the mess the boys had made, her mothering nature taking over almost immediately. She was dressed and ready to go, so there was no rush for her.

Creed's eyes fell back on his cat, who was looking under the couch cushions for his shirt. The blue eyes fell to a spot in the background, seeing his beloved's shirt resting quietly underneath a pillow that had been tossed in the tussle.

The teen smiled fervidly, keeping his eyes on Train. He knew Rinslet would find it while she was cleaning and Creed wanted to enjoy the view for a little longer. The only problem was there was a "situation" happening underneath his laptop. Creed crossed his legs firmly, telling himself he would deal with that issue later.

He pouted when Rinlset picked up the pillow that hid Train's shirt, tossing it over her shoulder at the boy. His cat smiled happily and slipped it on, glad to see this one actually fit. When Creed sighed sadly, Train turned to the camera, buttoning up his shirt and allowing the silver teen one more glimpse at heaven before it closed its gates.

"Did the link work?" Train asked, eyeing his fingers as they did their job.

Creed nodded, "Yes. It works. Thank you, Train."

Rinlset put her gown on, leaving it open as she scanned the room full of her friends. "I can't believe the day is finally here! And to think, we'll be doing this all over again in two years when our little princess graduates."

"Oh, I didn't tell you?"

Everyone turned to the young girl, who was back on her boyfriend's case for loosening his tie and unbuttoning his jacket. Sven smiled down at her, knowing what she was about to say to the group.

"I'm graduating with you all today."

Everyone in the room was speechless as they stared at their young friend. It remained like that for a few minutes, before Jenos entered the room again, mumbling loudly about how much he hated suits. When he stepped in the room and saw everyone staring at Eve, he did so as well, but not sure why.

"What happened? Did Eve miss a button?"

Rinslet smacked him at the back of the head as he eyed Eve's shirt closely.

"Idiot, Eve just told us she's graduating today!"

Jenos mouth gaped as he stared at the young girl's face, "WHAT?!"

She smiled, finally breaking the silence herself. "There's a program offered that allows for early graduation. The process to be accepted into it is quite rigorous, as in the program itself, but was I able to finish it on time to graduate with you all."

Silence again until Jenos spoke again. "Man, and I thought Creed was the genius of the group."

"Oh, I was given the option of entering that program as well. Tanaka-san offered it to me my first year. But I didn't want to graduate before Train."

All eyes fell to him now and Creed shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter. Eve, congratulations."

The group suddenly changed from shock to jubilance. They all gathered around the girl happily, watching as she pulled out her cap and gown as well. They continued getting ready as Eve told them about her acceptance into one of the top medical colleges. She wanted to become a doctor and was excited to get a head start on the long journey.

"Sven, what about you?" Jenos asked as he straightened his jacket and tie, looking in a full length mirror placed there specifically for them to use today.

"Oh, I'm not going to college. I want to get my career started ASAP." Sven stepped up behind Jenos, mimicking his motions as he looked at his own reflection. "I'm going to aviation school to become a commercial pilot and provide our little princess with all the support she needs to get through medical school."

"Damn, Sven, I didn't peg you as a flying type." Train was sitting on the couch, feet on the coffee table, top buttons of his undone, spinning his tie around his finger as he leaned his head back and stared at the tall ceiling.

He accidentally smacked himself in the face, earning an adoring giggle from Creed.

"What about you, Creed? I'm sure you've had your pick of the litter for college. Where did you decide to go?"

Creed brought his attention to Rinslet who was smiling at him through the camera. The girl was ready to go, cap and gown placed perfectly against her fine skin.

He smiled and glanced at his beloved, who had switched fingers the tie was on as if that fixed the problem. Creed smiled dearly at his cat, but addressed the young woman, "Guild University."

All eyes fell on him, giving him the same look they had given him earlier. Train, on the other hand, jumped in the air and hooted loudly.

"Alright, Silver Dollar! I knew they'd accept you! Did you get that scholarship too?"

Creed nodded at his cat, giggling again as Train lost his tie when he threw it in the air. "Yes, between that and financial aid, I'll be good to go. As long as I keep my grades up, I'll keep the scholarship and be given housing near the campus."

The silver teen had made sure of that. He knew the temporary solution for him and his love was to stay at Train's apartment until the semester started, but he wanted to make sure they were both taken care of when that happened.

_And if Train can't be there with me, what's the point in going?_

It was a conversation the two of them had a few weeks ago when Creed applied to the university. It was the silver teen's top choice of schools to go to, but it was pretty far from Train's apartment, which complicated their living situation. When Creed asked his cat about living with him closer to campus, he was overjoyed when his golden love said yes.

" _Of course, Silver Dollar! It's gonna get boring real fast without you here. Plus, I can pursue my career anywhere. Doesn't matter what city I'm in."_

_Creed smiled lovingly at his cat. "And… You're sure you don't mind living with me…?"_

_Train messed with his hair and returned the warm smile, "I already knew that was going to be the case. Why would this change anything?"_

_Blue eyes fell to the ground as if he wanted to avoid his next line of thoughts. "Well… I was always under the impression it was a temporary thing until I got back on my feet. I didn't think we'd be roommates for that long…"_

_Train hooked his fingers under Creed's chin, making the teen look into those golden orbs he loved. "Creed, I told you before, I don't know what the future holds, but I_ _ **know**_ _you're in it. Like I said, you weaseled yourself into a part of me that I don't think I could live without."_

_Creed grabbed his hand gently, tears threatening to stain his satin cheeks. "Thank you, Train…"_

Creed was holding his chin delicately at the memory, trying to feel his beloved's fingers on his face.

"Creed, that's amazing!" Sven said, jolting him from his thoughts.

"Yeah, isn't that the top law school in the country?" Jenos questioned, turning his attention to the blue eyed teen on the television.

"More like the **world**. That school's a **big** deal! You should be so proud of yourself, Creed!" Rinslet smiled at him, wishing he was there so she could give him a big, happy hug.

Creed scanned the group's happy faces and fell on his beloved. "Train will be coming with me, too."

They all turned to Train, shock once more raining supreme on the room. Train laughed at their faces, clutching his stomach as he did so. " **I'm** not going to that school! There's no way in **hell** they'd ever accept **me**!"

He took a few controlled breaths and addressed the group more calmly. "I'm going to enroll in the town's local police academy. Those are the best first steps towards becoming a detective, so after Creed settles into school, I'll start looking into the next steps into becoming that!"

Rinslet smiled facetiously, crossing her arms against her busty chest, "Oho, what's this? Planning our future together, are we?"

Train blushed lightly and scratched his cheek, avoiding the girl's gaze as best he could. "I-it's not like that…"

"It's a little like that." Sven and Eve said at the same time, smiling knowingly at Creed who blushed happily.

Throwing him an annoyed glance, Train stood from his spot and stretched. "Enough chit-chat, we should get going."

"Train, you're not ready." Eve said as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Train looked at himself up and down, frowning as he did so. "Yes, I am…"

"No, you're not. Where's your tie?"

The cat clutched his neck as if he was choking, acting surprised at its absence. He shrugged his shoulders and put his blue robe on. "Eh, I don't need it."

Rinslet sighed and began searching for the accessory behind the couch. "Yes, you do. Eve, help me look."

Train crossed his arms childishly as the girls roamed the room for it. "Creed isn't here which means you can't tell me what to do or how to look!"

Creed laughed at his love's comment and looked at the clock in his room. "Guys, I hate to say this, but I think Train has to win this round. If you don't leave now, you'll be late."

The group looked at the clock in Eve's house and ran from the room quickly. All except a certain cat as he ran to the camera to talk to his friend one more time.

"Last chance, Creed, are you sure you don't want me to ditch and hang out with you?"

Creed smiled gratefully at his cat, and nodded. "I'm sure, Train. Now get going before you're late."

Train smiled and went to turn the camera off, but not before Creed could hear Sven yell angrily for him to hurry up. The silver boy chuckled as he exited that screen and opened the other, seeing teachers had begun to take their seats on the stage, Hotaka checking the microphone and reading through his speech.

The silver teen sighed and settled into his bed, wishing he could still see his beloved. He even thought about texting the boy, but knew that would be too much. Creed stared at the picture of Train on his phone for a few minutes, before finally shutting it and putting it aside.

_Maybe I'll call Saya? Kill some time until they all arrive at the ceremony?_

He checked the clock again and realized she was sleeping by now. The girl had thrown off her whole schedule to talk to him the last month he'd been in the hospital, he shouldn't bother her just because he was bored.

_I'm also really sad… But, I've been enough of a burden as it is…_

He was really surprised how sad he was. Creed didn't expect to care this much, but after seeing all his friends get ready and having so much fun together, the silver boy couldn't help but feel envious.

_Not to mention Train was prancing around half naked pretty much the whole time. Ugh, it's not fair!_

When he felt the warmth from earlier begin to return, he decided to switch his focus to something else. Something to keep his mind occupied. He didn't want to deal with this growing problem so close to the start of the ceremony.

Creed reached to the side of his bed, grabbing a random book Eve had given him. He didn't bother to look at the title, sure he had already read it. Really, he was just trying to prevent himself from calling his cat and demanding a play by play action as he walked down the aisle. He had the video, and that should be enough.

The teen sunk a little lower into the bed, opening the book and lazily beginning to read. He didn't absorb much as his eyes started to feel heavy, closing as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

After just a few minutes, Creed jarred himself awake when he heard Hotaka's booming voice echo against the tall stage walls. He panicked, grabbing the screen desperately, trying to figure out who's name the principal had just said.

_Crap! Did he just say "Ingle"!? Did I miss Train!?_

He felt his breath quicken as he heart rate increased. He tried to calm himself down so as not to alarm the nursing staff, but he couldn't help himself. The camera rotated slowly, too slow for Creed's taste as he desperately tried to find his love.

"Train, where are you?!" He begged the screen, feeling years brimming his eyes.

A happy yelp from the hallway brought his attention away from the screen.

"What are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be graduating right now?!" He recognized the animated voice as Oliver's, and Creed knew he only spoke to one person with such a doting tone.

His door suddenly burst open revealing a very proud Train, cap and gown adorning his muscular frame. Oliver was standing close behind him, questioning his presence, eyes bright with yearning. The cat ignored the adoring man and closed the door in his face. Creed could hear the nurse whining at the door, peeking through the window as he fought the urge to enter the room.

Creed smiled dazedly as his beloved approached him, unable to speak the closer he got. When Train stood next to him, he stuttered, but found his voice nonetheless.

"T-train? Wh-what are you doing here?! You should be walking down on that stage!"

Train laughed at his friend's pleads, gesturing him to scoot over in the bed to make room. Creed complied readily, never missing a chance to be next to his hero.

"I bailed. I convinced Sven to drop me off at the closest train station and I came here instead."

Seeing his friend still in shock at his presence, Train messed with his hair. "It didn't feel right without you. I might not have even made it there without your help."

Creed blinked at his love, as if he couldn't quite put the pieces together. Despite that, he embraced his cat, snuggling deep into his chest as he exhaled gleefully. "Thank you, Train!"

Train patted his friend's head playfully, relaxing into the bed as he turned to the screen. "Who are we up to?"

Face still pressed against his beloved, he responded. "Jeff Ingle. Which means we haven't missed any of our friends yet."

"Other than Jenos, but that doesn't really matter, does it?"

Creed laughed and tightened his hold on Train. Right now, he didn't care about seeing anyone else walk. He was just so happy Train was there.

The pair watched their classmates graduate, Train cheering loudly when they said each of their friend's names. When they got to the end and Aria had given her speech, Train grabbed Creed's cap from under the bed, placing it on his head.

"We're gonna throw our hats together. You ready?"

Creed beamed affectionately at his hero, adoring every bit of his charming personality. "Yes."

When they heard Aria congratulate their class, the duo threw their hats in the air, Creed being careful not to hit the tiles in the ceiling, Train not caring and nearly knocking a light out. They laughed at the cat boy's blunder, smiling as they saw their classmates do the same.

A few hours later the gang was in Creed's hospital room. Kanzaki tried to stop Rinslet and Jenos from entering, remembering they were still banned from visiting Creed. They were able to sneak by while he was distracted and hid in the silver teen's room.

"How did we know you were coming back here?" Sven said cheerfully at Train, giving the boy a fist bump as he entered the room.

"Sorry, didn't feel right without this guy." Train poked his friend next to him, earning a happy blush and brilliant smile from the boy.

Eve gave them each a thick envelope, her beautiful blazing eyes shining gingerly in the hospital lights. "Hotaka-san told me to give these to you. He wasn't happy you left without saying anything, Train, but he sent his congratulations anyway."

Train opened the envelope eagerly, tossing the garbage aside carelessly. Creed was much more elegant in his retrieval of the diploma, knowing there was no rush because it wasn't going anywhere.

The feline teen held it above his head triumphantly, standing on the bed as his friends in the room yelled at him to get down. Creed laughed at his beloved and pulled him down by his shirt before Kanzaki saw his precious cat doing something reckless.

Rinslet peeked through the window as she dug deep into her big purse, pulling out a bottle of champagne. Jenos gasped and grabbed it from his girlfriend, kissing her gently on the forehead before turning to the rest of his friends.

"Score!" He said as she began to pull out some plastic cups, again keeping a close eye on the door.

"There's another bottle in here too, just in case this one was confiscated."

This time Jenos kissed her on the lips and squeezed her tight. "This is why I love you." When he felt her breasts against him, he smiled mischievously and gave them a quick squeeze. "Also these."

Rinslet slapped him across the face then handed everyone a cup except for Creed, who couldn't drink for obvious reasons. Train took the cup wearily, not really sure how he felt about this.

"Um… I'm not really a drinker."

Sven rolled his eyes as Jenos filled his cup. "None of us are. Besides that, we're underage, but doesn't this call for at least a small celebration?"

Eve nodded in agreement, accepting Jenos' alcoholic offer as well. "It's also just champagne, Train. There's no way we can go crazy with just champagne."

Train looked surprised at his small friend. "Et tu, Princess?!"

She shrugged her shoulders and took a small sip, "I've had to drink this stuff before at my parents' fancy gathering. Evidently, it's considered rude if the hosts don't drink with their guests. That includes the teenage children."

Sven took a gulp as well, waving his hand in the air. "I've been to some of those events. Apparently the child's boyfriend needs to drink as well."

Train glanced around the room seeing everyone have a sip. He shrugged his shoulders and allowed Jenos to fill his cup. "Alright, if you insist. This better not get me drunk."

Jenos laughed at his friend and slapped him on the back. "If it does then you'll have a different set of problems to deal with."

"Besides, the **real** celebration will happen once Creed is out of the hospital." Eve commented, reminding them all of the party her family had planned for them.

Jenos raised his glass in the air, stopping quickly as he filled a cup with water for Creed before he raised it again. "Here's to us on surviving and getting out of that hellhole!"

"Here, here!" Sven said, tapping Jenos' cup happily, the rest of the group doing the same.

The group drank happily, everyone enjoying each other's company, sharing stories and jokes, talking about the future. At some point in the night, Oliver entered, being quiet so as not to alert the doctor. He embraced Train joyfully, using the excuse of their graduation which no one in the room bought. Train did not return the gesture and pushed him back gently. As he did, the nurse handed him a small box, insisting it was a graduation gift.

Train frowned and looked at Creed from the corner of his eye, then shot a warning glare at the young man before him placing the gift to the side and thanking him awkwardly. Eve ushered the boy out, claiming they were celebrating as a family and he needed to get back to work. Oliver tried to get Train to open it while he was there, but he refused, taking a rather large gulp of champagne as he was removed from the room.

_I'm gonna have to tell him that he's one step closer to the block list..._

He left them alone for the rest of the night and the group was able to finish the two bottles without a problem. Between the five of them, it was only about two drinks each. Eve and Sven had passed down their second share, which Train took ignorantly. He had reached a point of tipsiness that was just at the edge of being drunk, but not so far gone he didn't know what was happening.

Jenos laughed as Train stumbled out of the bathroom, having already used it a few times throughout the night. "Well, looks like you've got yourself a lightweight there, Creed."

Creed giggled as his love climbed back into bed, snuggling against his thin frame tiredly.

"Shut up, Jenos." Train said groggily, only half aware of how closely he cuddled into his friend.

Eve laughed and took the cup that hung from Train's hand, threatening to fall against the hard floor. She shook Sven awake, the boy having fallen asleep not due to alcohol, but due to the late hour of the night. The staff was kind enough to let them stay a little later, making sure Kanzaki didn't find out. The green teen woke up quickly and eyed his girlfriend, smiling sleepily.

"Time to go, Lucky Charm." She said sweetly.

Rinslet laughed at her nickname for the teen and kicked her own boyfriend awake, much meaner than what Eve had done to Sven.

"Get up, jerk, time to leave and let these two rest." She gestured to Train and Creed, the former lying against Creed's chest and slipping into dreamland, the latter smiling peacefully at his beloved, stroking his hair admirably.

He nodded, not being asleep so not understanding why he needed to be kicked to attention. Sven stretched as he stood, digging out his keys as he waved goodbye to the pair in the bed.

"See ya next week!" Rinslet said happily as she dragged her boyfriend out of the room. Eve followed suit and smiled at Creed knowingly.

"Take care of him, Creed." She closed the door behind her, earning a groan from said cat.

"So tired…" He said as he nuzzled his face into Creed's chest, getting a merry sigh from the silver teen.

Creed pulled the blanket over his love, fingers still running longingly through his chocolate hair.

"I know, Train. Sleep now. You'll feel better in the morning."

Train purred a little at the touch, knowing Creed was being loving, but not fully comprehending what the gesture meant.

"Creed… You're really awesome…" Train said absentmindedly, slowly drifting off.

Creed carseed his love's cheek, earning another happy sigh which gave the silver teen chills. "Thank you for saying that, Train."

"I really care about you, Creed… I hope you know that…" He leaned a little close to his friend, enjoying the floaty feeling he had and the delicate fingers fondling his face.

"I know, Train…" Creed replied lovingly, fingers never stopping their motion.

Train sighed one more time, adjusting himself slightly against Creed which gave the silver boy chills again, feeling that warmth return once more. He restrained himself from going any further than his light touches, knowing that was wrong not only because Train saw him as a friend, but also because his cat wasn't sober nor fully conscious at the moment.

"I don't know what the future holds…" Train said, his words only partly coherent. "But as long as I have you and the others… I know everything will be fine…."

Creed lifted Train's hand and kissed his gently, "I'll never leave you, my cat. I promise."

The silver teen watched his beloved sleep quietly, staying awake as long as his body allowed until he fell against his hero, wrapping his arms around his athletic frame firmly, letting sleep take him as well.


	17. Progress

This story is going to change to an R rating from now on. Be aware, some yaoi will ensue in this chapter. You've been warned...

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters.

* * *

** Progress **

_Ugh, I can't_ _**wait** _ _to never see these plain white walls again! And it feels_ _**so** _ _good to be in a normal pair of pants..._

Creed was currently changing into his own clothes, happy to be rid of that hospital gown. He actually scowled at the abandoned piece of fabric that lay uselessly on the bathroom floor. For emphasis he kicked it into the corner and huffed with pride at his decision to lose the garment in the darkness of the room.

Smiling, the silver teen walked out of the privy to see his beloved packing up his books, laptop, and other personal items that Train or others had brought him. He watched as his cat eyed some deflated balloons dully, then grabbed them by the string and began attacking with his fingers. Creed couldn't help but laugh at the scene, as his loved one really did look like a cat in that moment.

"Train, why don't you-"

Before Creed could finish his sentence he was interrupted by Oliver who was taking the sheets off the silver teen's old bed. The nurse pulled out a small pair of scissors from a drawer in the room and handed them to the cat boy. Train looked offended at the idea that he couldn't finish off the balloons on his own, but took them nonetheless and destroyed each of the helium filled menaces one by one.

Satisfied with his job, Train smiled and handed the scissors back to Oliver, who was blushing and smiling brightly at Creed's beloved. The silver boy growled and approached his cat, taking the golden teen's hands delicately in his own and massaged them lightly.

"There's no need to hurt yourself for something so superfluous, Train."

His golden cat blushed at the contact and avoided his friend's gaze. "Stop being so mothering…"

Creed's smile at Train changed to another scowl when Oliver stepped over, deciding to take matters into his own hands. "Oh, did you hurt yourself, Train?"

The nurse tried to take the feline teen's hands from Creed to inspect them further, but the silver teen refused to let go, deepening his scowl. The two locked eyes for a minute, making Train very uncomfortable as he pried his hands away from both of them.

"Between the two of you I'm surprised my blood pressure hasn't sky rocketed the last month and a half…"

"Well, if it does, you be sure to come back here and we'll take great care of you!"

Creed growled at the nurse, "No, thanks. We'll give someone else a call."

Another look was shared between the two which caused Train to sigh tiredly as he hit his friend lightly on the head. "Put the green eyed demon away and finish packing. I don't want to know what Kanzaki will say if we're not out of here on time."

Today was Creed's discharge day and the silver teen couldn't be happier. He couldn't wait to get back to his beloved's apartment and spend the entire summer with him and their friends. Creed wanted to make up for all the time lost due to his hospitalization. Added to that, since he was going to be starting law school in a few months, he knew his time was precious since it would soon be dedicated mostly to studying.

Creed nodded at his love and helped him pack. Train had gone to his mother's apartment a while ago to grab all of Creed's belongings. They were safe and sound at his beloved's apartment now, and it was comforting to know they had one less thing to worry about.

_Neither of us has the money right now to buy me a new wardrobe, so it's a good thing he was able to get in and take my stuff. Lucky for my cat, that woman never locks the door and she's been in prison for several weeks._

The silver boy couldn't help but smile at that thought. Both she and Izo were gone for good and Creed felt an unbearable weight lifted from his shoulders to be rid of them forever.

"Train, why are you so sweaty?"

Creed glanced over at Oliver who had been eyeing **his** love a bit too lascivious and growled again. Train was sweating pretty badly, which caused his thin, white shirt to cling to him tightly, leaving very little to the imagination. The silver boy already had his lustful moment and very quickly and quietly took care of it while he was changing in the bathroom.

The golden teen looked down at himself, pulling his shirt away from his chest slightly, then frowning at his sweaty fingers. "Well, I ran from the train station to here. Normally I take the bus to the train, then the train to here and walk the rest of the way, but Creed and I recently looked into the physical test I will need to pass to become a cop, so I started training early."

Oliver gaped at the teen, eyes glancing down at his body every so often. "The South Street Station? I use that every day, that's like six miles from here!"

Train waved his hand at the nurse as he closed a box holding Creed's books. "Nah, the North Street Station. That's eight miles. I know, I checked beforehand."

Creed smiled to himself, snickering at a memory between him and his cat.

" _How many push ups?" Train asked, eyeing the screen sitting on Creed's lap._

_Scrolling down, the silver teen didn't see a number. "There's no specific number listed, it just says you will be scored on how many you can do in a minute."_

_Train jumped off the bed and assumed a push up position on the floor. "Alright, time me."_

_Creed laughed as he pulled out his phone to set a timer. His body tingled all over as he watched his cat, feeling heat rush to more than just his face. A beeping sound brought him back from his his stupor, Train jumping up quickly and eyeing his friend excitedly._

" _That was sixty! One every second. Is that good?"_

_Creed tried to slow his breath and hide how worked up he was getting, but nodded wildly at his love. "That's… A lot…"_

_His cat jumped back to the laptop, "What's next?"_

_Creed fanned himself as he scrolled down the screen again. "Sit ups. For your age it looks like thirty is expected in a minute."_

" _Pfft, I can totally do that!'_

_The silver boy looked at his cat coyly, "Oh, I don't know, Train. That's a lot. Are you sure?" He was feigning his belief in Train, hoping that would entice his beloved to give him another show._

_Train was back on the floor again, demanding Creed time him once more. The injured boy complied, but kept his salacious eyes on the cat boy, coy smile still present. When the timer went off, Train was on his feet again._

" _Fourty-two! More than expected! Next?!"_

_Creed knew if Train kept going he wouldn't be able to control himself, but at the same time he longed to see more of his golden love's physical prowess. They continued down the list until Train had completed each activity, stopping when they got to the cardio portion. Both boys knew he was a fast runner, he had shown that time and time again over the year, but that didn't change his mind on proving it again._

" _Alright, looks like I'm gonna start running here every day!"_

The silver teen felt his body grow warm again as he thought of that day. And true to his word, Train had run there every day, minus one or two times it was raining to the point that made the activity possible. Creed had enjoyed this immensely. His cat had come in every day, glistening gloriously, panting slightly, and in desperate need of a shower. He usually jumped into Creed's bathroom which also delighted the silver teen beyond belief. Train kept some of his clothes in the hospital room since he was there every night anyway, so Creed was able to have many breathtaking views of his beloved's bare chest whenever he came out of the bathroom to retrieve his clothes. A few times the cat had misplaced them, meaning he stayed shirtless while he searched which set Creed's body on fire.

_What's been even better is Train hasn't seemed to mind being half naked in front of me. I can't help but be hopeful for our future…_

Whenever he thought this he tried to redirect his mind. Getting his hopes up would only lead to more heartbreak and Creed didn't know how much more he could take.

"E-eight miles?! Train, that's incredible! You'll pass that test no problem."

When Train noticed the enthusiastic nurse moving to give him a congratulatory hug, the cat boy glared at him fiercely, halting the young man in his tracks. They already had a conversation about him being one step closer to the block list, and Train returned the gift he had given him for graduation.

Oliver frowned at his crush, but turned away from him quickly, grabbing a new set of sheets for the next patient who would be occupying this room. Train continued packing Creed's belongings, keeping one eye on the nurse as he did so. He then glanced at Creed who was humming happily to himself, a light blush on his cheeks giving Train an idea of what his friend was thinking about.

He sighed again, unsure of why he attracted such strange people. Still, he couldn't help but feel guilty for not already having blocked Oliver. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like somewhat of a betrayal to Creed.

_It's not like I ever reply to Oliver. Only when he texts me something pertaining to Creed and I've turned him down countless times to meet up somewhere outside of the hospital. He's just so_ _**persistent!** _

He looked at Creed again who was folding one of Train's shirts, blush still apparent as he eyed the clothing lovingly. The cat boy shook his head, but laughed to himself quietly.

_Guess he's kind of like Creed which is why I have a hard time being meaner to him. Still… I feel like I should let Creed know. I don't know why I feel bad, but maybe if I tell him, it'll make me feel better and he won't be too upset. Afterall, I did it for his shake._

Train wasn't sure how well that was working at this point seeing as the nurse had started to break his promise. That was the part of their conversation that drove Train crazy because Oliver claimed he only interacted with him when necessary in front of Creed. The cat boy didn't agree with that since their interactions seemed more like excuses to be near Train than something of actual importance.

He waited until the young man left the room. Train lifted a box of books and placed it by the door, checked out the window to make sure Oliver was out of sight then turned to Creed.

"Hey, Creed… I've been wanting to tell you something…"

Creed stopped what he was doing and looked at his beloved with hope in his eyes. Train clarified before his friend got too excited.

"No, Creed, it has to do with Oliver." He watched as his friend's demeanor changed drastically, his chest falling dejectedly and his eyes weeping silently. "No! Again, it's not what you think! Ugh!"

He rubbed his forehead in annoyance. _Why does he have to make everything so difficult?_

One deep breath, and he continued. "A while back, Oliver found me in the cafeteria and told me about his crush on me. Don't worry, I turned him down! But… He sort of… Blackmailed me into giving him my number…"

Creed frowned at his cat, "Blackmailed? What do you mean?"

Another sigh from the cat. "Well, maybe blackmail is the wrong word. It's more like we came to an agreement. We made a deal: I would give him my number if he backed off in front of you."

The silver teen processed this quietly. "I see… And why are you telling me this? You don't belong to me, so it's really none of my business…"

The thought made him sad, but it was true.

Train blushed a little and looked away as well. "I'm… not really sure. For whatever reason, I feel bad. I don't like lying to you about something like this. Nothing has happened, I promise. I only reply to him when he updates me about you and I've turned down every lunch and dinner request he's offered. But, I still can't help but feel like-"

"-Like you're cheating on me?" The silver teen teased.

Creed laughed merrily as his love blushed. It was just too easy to mess with the teen and Creed loved every minute of it. He put the last of Train's clothes in a suitcase they borrowed from Eve and approached his cat. He placed an understanding hand on his beloved's cheek and smiled kindly.

"Train, it's okay. I know you have no interest in him and I'm sorry for acting so jealous. It's just hard knowing you're not mine and seeing someone else trying to claim you as theirs." Creed stopped Train before he could speak. "I know you don't belong to anyone. I also didn't know what you did to try and spare my feelings. So, thank you for that."

Train sighed in relief and nodded at his friend. "Well, I don't know how much it worked considering he's started getting worse again. It seems like as long as he believes I'm available, he's gonna keep pestering me."

Train saw a twinkle in Creed's eye when he said that, but before he could question it, his friend stepped away and set the suitcase next to the door as well. He peeked through the window and frowned, "Where's Sven? He should have been here five minutes ago."

Creed opened the door to get a better look and smiled as he saw an out of breath teenager making his way hastily down the hallway.

"There you are, we were beginning to worry."

"Speak for yourself…" Came Train's irritated voice as he stepped from the room carrying a box of books. "Here, take this."

He dropped the box in Sven's arms making the boy buckle his knees a little. Sven straightened up and adjusted the box in his arms.

"Geeze, what the hell is in here? Rocks?"

Train rolled his eyes and grabbed another box for himself. "No. Books. Lots of them thanks to Lil' Princess."

He said this as Eve rounded the corner, not even trying to keep up with her tall boyfriend. "Sorry we're late. There was traffic."

"No worries," Creed said as he rolled his suitcase into the hallway. "Let's just get out of here. I need to feel the sun on my face."

Sven looked in the room and sweat dropped at what he saw. "Why are there so many boxes?! I feel like we're helping Saya move all over again!"

"People kept sending Creed crap and Eve gave him more books than any one person could read in a lifetime. Plus, a lot of my stuff is here as well. We've pretty much been living here for the last month and a half."

"Much to my distaste."

The group turned to the voice and saw Kanzaki standing there, again not looking at the teens as he spoke. "I can't say I'm sad to see you go, but I did want to check in one more time to make sure you understand your homecare instructions for the next few weeks."

Creed nodded and recited his orders. "I need to take one pill of this-" He jiggled a pill bottle he pulled from his pocket in the air. "-Twice a day, keep my physical activities low for at least a week and make sure to get a full eight hours of sleep every night."

The doctor nodded and turned from the group. "Great. Have a good summer. Hope we never meet again."

Train waved at the man's back, "We love you too!" He said cheerfully, not missing the chance to mess with the man one more time.

Kanzaki ignored his comment and turned into another patient's room, shutting the door behind him.

The cat boy turned to the group and picked up two boxes. "Shall we?"

Sven nodded, struggling only a little under the weight of his book filled box. "Our chariot awaits. And quite illegally I might add, so let's be quick about it."

They were able to make their way to the front door uneventfully and packed Sven's car fully until a desperate voice called to them. "Wait! Train, don't leave yet!"

Creed and Train groaned in unison and made eye contact briefly.

"How do I let him down easy?" Train whispered to his friend.

Creed smiled deviously. "Don't worry, I have a plan. Just trust me and go with it."

The cat boy gave his friend a curious look, but nodded anyway. He turned to the nurse who was running towards him. When he caught up, he took a minute to catch his breath, then looked at his crush sadly.

"I-I just wanted to say goodbye…"

Train felt like a wrench was twisting in his gut when Oliver gave him that pitiful look. He rubbed his forehead and avoided the young man's gaze as he spoke, "Listen, Oliver, I-"

He was stopped as Creed turned him by his shoulders and kissed him full on the lips. Train froze for a minute, a bright blush creeping on his cheeks as Creed wrapped his arms around the golden teen's neck, pulling their bodies closer together.

Train felt his body moving on its own as he wrapped one arm around his friend's waist, pressing their bodies together completely. The cat boy was hesitant at first, but felt himself responding to the kiss slowly, allowing Creed a chance to deepen the kiss of his own volition. A jolt of warm spread throughout his body, giving Train a sensation he hadn't felt before. Not even when Saya kissed him.

Creed reluctantly broke the kiss and beamed sensually into his cat's eyes. He hadn't expected Train to respond like **that** , and had to fight the urge to ravish his mouth again. Breathlessly, he spoke, unable to take his eyes off his cat as he placed a hand in his hair, caressing it lovingly.

"Train is spoken for, so you better back off now."

His voice was both light and heavy, possessive and adoring, lustful and shrewd. Creed never looked at the nurse, knowing he was gaping crazily at them, as were Sven and Eve. He smiled at his stunned cat, grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the car.

_Well, that was unexpected. I must remember to try that again when there are less people around…_

Creed smirked to himself as he approached the vehicle, licking his lips to taste his cat again.

* * *

" _No! Please! Leave them alone!"_

_Train was young and weak again. Too weak to stop the man in front of him as he filled his parents already dead corpses full of bullets. He tried to run at the man and knock him over, but his feet were glued to the ground, preventing him from moving._

_The man laughed at him harshly. "Why are you even fighting? Just shut up and watch as I take everything you love."_

_Suddenly Eve and Sven were there, but they were fully grown adults. They held each other tightly as Eve sobbed loudly into Sven's chest. Sven tried to defy the man, but to no avail. Their lives quickly ended the same way his parents' had as they fell to the floor in a lifeless heep._

_Zagine laughed as Train screamed, still unable to move from his spot._

" _Who's next…" The man said, "Aha, what a pretty one.."_

_Train watched as Saya was pulled into view and Train screamed even louder, throwing his body on the floor, but his feet never moved. Saya looked at him, fear bright in her teal eyes that turned a vicious shade of red. She fell on top of Sven and Eve with a loud thump that echoed throughout the empty room._

" _And finally…"_

_Train's body froze at the next victim. He felt his soul leave his body as all the color drained from his face. Creed stood there with tears streaming down his cheeks, reaching violently towards Train. The cat boy tried to reach him as well, desperate to not let his friend meet the same fate as the others._

_Creed cried desperately for his help, tears falling relentlessly against his pearly white skin. Suddenly, they turned a frightening shade of scarlet as Train heard a loud crack of thunder._

_Before Creed fell, he stared deep into Train's eyes, reaching out one more time as he spoke his final words. "I love you, Train…"_

Train screamed as he sat up quickly, sweat dripping from his face as he clutched his chest tightly. He was panting heavily as a gentle knock came from the door, Creed's voice accompanying it.

"Train? Are you alright?"

The cat looked around the room frantically, trying to gather his bearings. With a deep breath he rested his head against the pillow again, closing his eyes tightly against the bright lights he hadn't bothered to turn off. He was in their new apartment, taking a nap in the new bedroom.

"I'm fine, Creed." Train said a bit too harshly.

Creed stayed at the door a little longer, then spoke again in a sad voice. "You told me to wake you up after an hour… You need to study for your written exam."

Creed felt like he blinked and his first semester of law school started. He and his beloved had moved into a small apartment near his campus and Train was about to take the written test to become a police officer. His love had completed the physical portion weeks ago and passed with flying colors. Now was the hard part for his cat: studying and passing a written exam.

After a few minutes, Train emerged from the room, grumbling thank yous to Creed as he stepped passed him and into the shared living area, barely giving his friend a second glance. Creed remained in the doorway as he watched his cat take a seat on the couch. He sighed and sat in the armchair next to it, picking up a book he had just set down.

The college student was eyeing his love above his book. Train was wiping the crust from his eyes and studying tiredly with that trademark stressed frown on his gorgeous face. He turned down Creed's offer to help, insisting the silver student focus on his own studies. However, Creed found himself distracted more than usual.

The silver student sighed longingly at his cat, replaying that kiss they shared months ago over and over in his head, feeling the heat he felt that day return to his body.

_We haven't talked about that kiss at all and now it feels like it was ages ago…_

Over the last few months Creed had tried to recreate the moment or even talk to Train about what happened, but each time the cat had an excuse to leave the room. That was a feat of its own considering there was only so far he could go in their small apartment. The housing Creed was approved for was only meant to be for one person. That didn't stop Creed from moving Train in. They were going to be sharing a small place anyway and since neither of them were working right now, this was the best they could do.

Still, it wasn't bad. One bathroom, one bedroom, a kitchen, and a shared living space. It came pre-furnished so they didn't need to worry about buying anything extra. Creed had insisted Train take the bed or they shared it, but his cat declined and slept on the couch instead. That thought hurt Creed, since he had hoped they're cuddling would resume. The agreement they finally came to was to rotate who slept in the bed. The only reason Train was in there just now was because he needed a nap and Creed wouldn't be using the room anyway.

_When I was in the hospital I felt like we made so much progress…. Now it feels like he's stepped a million miles away…_

He continued staring woefully at his cat, unaware the golden man was trying to get his attention anyway.

"Creed? Did you hear me? I asked if you were hungry."

Creed nodded his head a little and smiled at his cat. "Yes. I think there's some leftovers from last night if you want to warm those up."

Train nodded and stood. "Yeah, I'm starving."

He watched as his cat walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. A little hesitant, Creed stood and followed after him. He was getting tired of this distance that had been put between them and needed to know if that kiss was the reason for it.

"Train…" He said quietly, stepping to the fridge and looking down at his love.

"Hm?" Train replied not looking back at him, continuing his hunt for food.

"Can… Can we talk?"

Train shut the fridge and grabbed two plates from a nearby cabinet, still not looking at his friend.

"Sure, what's up?"

Creed sighed, finding the strength to say what he needed to say. "Well… It's about what happened when I left the hospital… I just wanted to know if-"

"-Do you want milk?"

Creed blinked at his cat's change of subject. He shook his head as Train poured a glass for himself and eyed his roommate strangely. The silver student sighed again, letting his eyes fall to the floor.

"Why do you keep doing that? Why do you keep avoiding the subject?"

There was a small pause before Train spoke. "Because I don't know what you want me to say…"

Creed gave his beloved a pleading look. "You can't deny there's been distance between us since then. Why, Train? Are you mad at me?! Do you hate me now?!"

He had been wondering if these last months had been a cruel joke. That Train didn't want to be there. That his love was stuck with him and trapped in a home with someone he didn't want anything to do with. That he had planned his future with someone he could no longer stand.

Another pause as Train let his eyes shift to the window above the sink, unable to bear the sad look in his best friend's eyes. "No…"

"Then what? What is it, Train!? You know I'll do anything for you! You know I'll do anything to make this right!"

He sounded a bit panicked as he spoke, his anxiety rising at the thought of losing Train. Creed felt a tear fall down his cheek that he ignored in order to drive the point home to his cat. "Just tell me what I need to do, Train, and I'll do it! Anything to bring us close again, please…"

Train sighed as he placed his glass down, bringing his eyes back to his friend briefly before looking out the window again. Creed had enough of Train avoiding his gaze and stomped towards him, suddenly feeling a bit of rage build in his stomach.

He grabbed Train's chin and forced their eyes to meet. Creed gazed heartily into his beloved's golden depths, feeling his cat's breath quicken and his body stiffen a little in his grasp. The silver man scanned his friend's face for any sign of acceptance. When he noticed Train swallow and lick his lips subtly, Creed couldn't help himself.

He leaned forward and pressed his cold lips against Train's warm ones. Train did not respond at first, but also did not push him away. When he felt his cat place a shaky hand on his waist, Creed pulled him closer by wrapping his hands behind his beloved's head, pressing their bodies together. Train put his other arm around Creed's back, pushing their waists against each other.

The college student felt his love press his lips harder against Creed's, making the silver man moan blissfully as he slid his tongue against Train's. The brunette returned the gesture, hesitant at first, then with a bit more fever when Creed applied more pressure.

Suddenly, Train broke the kiss, pushing a desperate Creed away as his golden eyes fell to the ground again. He took a few short breaths and headed for the door, grabbing his phone and keys as he walked away.

"I-I need to go for a run." If Creed said anything to him he didn't hear it as he shut the door behind him and, as promised, began to run.

He was going faster than usually and wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. This wasn't his normal path, but he didn't care. He needed to shake off this feeling that he didn't recognize. His body was on fire and his heart was racing, not from the cardio he was engaging in, but from something else he didn't understand. Not only did he not understand it, but it scared him. He felt like his heart was going to explode and there was nothing he could do about it.

After about four miles he stopped, checking the running app on his phone to see how fast he had gone. He smiled a little noting the new record, but collapsed to the ground in a miserable heap. He felt a little better, but realized he had probably made things worse with Creed. He leaned against a nearby tree and banged his head against it several times.

"Damnit!" He shouted into the night, not caring if there was anyone around at this hour of the evening.

He sat there for what felt like hours, but had only been a few minutes. Opening his phone he eyed it wearily, noticing Creed had texted him. He clicked the message and felt a knot in his stomach as he read the words.

"I'm sorry. Please come back."

Closing the phone Train banged his head against the tree once more. He lowered his head into his hands and sighed loudly. "What do I do…"

With another look at his phone he opened it again, fingers automatically scrolling to a number and clicking it without regard to the other person's availability. Train waited restlessly as the phone rang, praying they would answer.

A click then a voice brought him relief. "Hello?"

"Saya…" Train breathed helplessly, glad she answered.

"Train? What's wrong? You don't sound good…"

A groan, then a reply, "I don't think I am…"

He could hear his friend cross her arm against her chest as she spoke. "What happened?"

"I…" He stopped himself, not sure how blunt he should be with the girl. Afterall, she had been the only other person he had kissed. "I… Creed and I kissed."

"Again?"

Train blinked at the phone, unable to respond as his friend giggled kindly. "Creed told me about the first time since **you** wouldn't talk to him about it."

Train felt his stomach twist again, realizing he had avoided his friend when he needed him. "I don't know what to do…"

He heard the girl sigh. "You never know what to do…" Another pause before she spoke again. "Listen, Train, you know how much Creed loves you, right?"

Another knot. "Yes."

"And you know if you keep kissing him, he's going to want to go further, right?"

"Yes…"

"Is that what you want?"

"I-" He stopped himself, realizing he didn't have the answer to that. "I… Don't know…"

She giggled again. "You're so impossible. I don't know why Creed puts up with you."

Train frowned at the phone, positive his friend had felt it. "You're not helping."

"I know I'm not, but that's because I can't." She thought for a second, trying to make sure her next words were clear. "How did your kiss with Creed feel versus your kiss with me?"

The brunette froze at that question, feeling his mind muddle uselessly as he tried to form words. "Different…"

"Different how?"

Train threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "I don't know! Just different!"

"You're so bad at this, Train." She sighed again and Train could hear her take a seat. "I can't give you the answers, but I can help you find them. You **have** to find them on your own otherwise they will mean nothing."

Hearing her friend not respond, she continued. "You need to figure out on your own how you feel. That's something no one can tell you. You need to ask yourself: Did you enjoy it? Do you want to do it again? And then ask why to each of those questions. It's the only way to get your answers. But, Train-" The cat heard her close a door tightly, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear what she was about to say. "If the answer to any of those questions is no, then you need to stop. You have no idea what you're doing to Creed. He loves you so wholly that if you keep doing this to him, you **will** break him. And I know that's not what you want, right?"

Saya could hear her friend shake his head over the phone.

"Good. Take a breath, think about what I said, and find the answers on your own. It's the only way to know what's true."

She hung up without saying goodbye, knowing it wouldn't have meant anything if she did. Train leaned his head against the tree again and stared at the darkening sky. He let the cool night breeze wash against his face, shutting his eyes for a few minutes before getting up and running again. He needed to clear his head before he went back to Creed. However, he knew his friend was probably worrying himself into a coma, so Train decided to return his message.

"I'll be back soon."

* * *

Creed was pacing their small apartment in a panic. Train had left so suddenly he didn't know what to do. Run after him and push him away even further? Stay and potentially lose him forever? There was no winning in this situation and the silver student felt himself falling apart.

He even considered calling Saya, but he knew there was nothing she could say that she hadn't already said. Instead, he chose to circle the living room endlessly, biting the skin off his thumb. Creed punched himself in the head over and over, trying to knock some sense into his thick skull.

_Stupid! You're so stupid! A kiss is what pushed him away from you_ _**twice**_ _before. What made you think it would be any different a third time?_

Creed couldn't stop himself. The physical signs Train was giving off were so **inviting…** So **alluring**...

_But still, you know better! Why do you have to screw everything up!? You're trash!_

Those last words made him collapse to the floor. His mother used to say that to him every day. He felt his chest quiver with a sob as his head fell into his hands. He needed Train right now, but he knew his cat didn't want to see him.

His phone dinged quietly in his pocket and he pulled it out quickly. Seeing his beloved's name blink on the screen he froze in fear. Still needing to have some contact with his cat he clicked the message and sighed in relief. Shutting his phone, he sat on the couch and stared at the door. His eyes refused to leave until they opened to reveal his beloved.

Eventually, Creed saw the door open and jumped from his seat. He ran to the door, stopping himself from embracing his cat, but giving him the most mournful look he could muster.

"Train, I'm **so** sorry! I-"

Train's hand in his face stopped him from continuing. "Stop, Creed. It's okay… Apparently we **do** need to talk."

Creed watched as his cat walked to the couch and beckoned his friend to join. He did it readily, sitting close enough to his cat to satisfy his own needs, but allowing the space he felt Train needed.

After a few moments of silence, Train began to speak. "I don't know what's going on with me, Creed… But I know I'm not mad at you, and I know I don't have any regrets."

Creed blinked at his cat, holding his breath as his hero spoke his next words. "I'm not good at this, Creed, you know that. All of this-" He gestured to himself and Creed, "-Is new to me. You've known what you wanted for, what, elven years now?"

"Twelve…" Creed corrected, noting another year had passed since they began their friendship.

"...Twelve… Right. For me, it's only been a year. And yes, before you say anything I know you knew your feelings for me the moment we met, but I'm not you, Creed. I don't work that way. I don't even know if I believe in love at first sight."

Seeing that he hurt his friend, he elaborated. "I'm not discrediting your feelings, I'm just saying I can't fall in love with someone so quickly or easily. Hell, I don't even know if it's possible for me at all yet!"

Again, he cringed at Creed's look, knowing that his words were only making things worse. He growled loudly and dropped his head into his hands. "I told you I'm bad at this…"

Train felt Creed gently touch his wrist and didn't pull away. "Train… it's okay. You can take your time, if that's what you need."

The cat looked at his friend between his fingers, seeing the sincerity they held.

Creed smiled. "I don't expect you to be like me. I've waited twelve years to even get this close to you… I can wait a little longer…"

Train sighed and leaned back into the couch, ignoring the fact that he was covered in sweat from his run. He stayed silent for a minute, concentrating on his words so they would make sense.

"...I **do** miss you, Creed. I see the distance between us. Hell, I'm the one that put it there and I haven't liked it either. While I don't know what's going on in my head, I do know this time **my** night terrors have come back. I stopped having them when you were in the hospital and we were closer, but since I've been here and we've been apart… They've come back in full force…"

Creed moved a little closer to his love and wrapped his arm gently around Train's shoulder. The cat relaxed a bit at the gesture, realizing how much he missed his friend's comfort. Creed ran his fingers through his beloved's hair, eliciting a sigh from his hero.

"You were a comfort to me then too, Creed. I just… Didn't realize it at the time and I don't know how to voice my feelings like you do. All I know is… I've missed you…"

Creed smiled lovingly at his cat. "That makes me happier than you could ever know, Train."

The college student shuffled a little closer to his friend, letting his other hand fall to Train's knee. He smiled at his cat as he rested his head against Creed's shoulder, relishing the feel of his love's breath against his neck.

Feeling Train snuggle into him, Creed smiled and began rubbing his beloved's knee. "Like I said, Train, take all the time you need to work things out. You know I'm not going anywhere. I'll follow your lead and I won't do anything you're not ready for. I don't mind waiting as long as I know you won't leave me."

Train nodded against his shoulder and sighed. He could feel Creed's hand slide from his knee to his thigh and felt the familiar warmth from earlier begin to rise in him again. Train squirmed a little at the touch, trying to figure out how he felt about it.

Creed, feeling his love twitch a little at his advances, decided to test what the new boundaries were. Train didn't seem to know what they were yet either, so this was going to be an experiment for them both. And since his cat wasn't stopping his hand, he took that as a green light and pushed a little further.

His fingers traced Train's inner thigh lightly, feeling a rush of heat flood his body as he traced the finely toned muscles. His cat was wearing shorts, so Creed got the full impression of the hard work Train had put into his body. Creed moved his hand a little higher up Train's thigh, earning another squirm from his cat.

Still seeing Train was not stopping him, Creed removed his other arm from his love's shoulder, used it to tilt the golden man's head backwards and a little to the side, giving him access to his cat's ear. He blew a gentle breath of air into Train's canal, cherishing the shiver he received in return.

Creed happily noted that Train still had not stopped him, so he placed his lips lightly against his cat's neck, kissing his sweaty skin tenderly. Creed ran his lips up and down Train, planting as many kisses as he could from his love's ear to his shoulder. He sucked the salty sweat from his beloved's body, licking his lips as he did so, hearing Train swallow thickly and moan a little.

Wanting to hear more from his cat and seeing he had still not been stopped, Creed moved his hand a little bit higher against Train's thigh, placing his digits up his roommate's shorts and brushing gently against the fabric of his boxers. His fingers traced the edge of the garment, feeling Train flinch as Creed nibbled his shoulder a little.

Creed retrieved his hand and gently pushed his cat by the shoulders against the arm of the couch, locking their lips together again. Train accepted this kiss much more readily than the one Creed had given him earlier and ran his hands up the silver student's back.

The feel of his love's hands against him caused Creed to lose control quickly. These sensations were all new to Creed as well, but he had obsessively thought about what he would do to Train if ever given the chance for so long that it all felt natural to him. He was following his instincts and allowed his body to do the talking for him, letting the love and want he felt for Train pour into his every movement. It also didn't hurt that he had seen his mother in the act several times, so that gave him somewhat of an idea on how to please a man.

Creed plunged his tongue deeper into Train's mouth, exploring his beloved's cavity as vigorously as he could. Feeling Train return the action, but with a little less force, Creed felt his pants beginning to tighten, knowing he would perish if he didn't taste more of his cat.

The silver student pulled away from Train's lips and ran his kisses back along his neck and shoulder, nibbling and licking obscenely at the balmy skin. Needing to feel more of his cat, Creed slid his hands underneath Train's sweaty shirt and against his stomach. He traced the muscles of his abs hungrily, sucking lightly at his roommate's neck as he brought his hands higher and higher against Train's chest, finally reaching the small knobs on either side.

Creed ran his thumb across them which earned him a beautiful gasp from his cat. He did it again eagerly, happy to have found a pleasure button on Train. As Creed traced his kisses to the other side of Train's neck, he felt a purr vibrate against his lips, encouraging Creed to suck a little harder.

When he went to move his thumb against Train's chest again, he felt his cat's hand leave his back and grab his wrists, pulling them out from under his shirt and against one another. Creed pulled back and eyed his love pleadingly, yearning to feel more of him, to hear more musical sounds leave his luscious lips.

Train was panting up at his beseeching friend, feeling his heart pound against his chest harshly.

"That's enough, Creed…"

Creed let his head fall against Train's chest, feeling the growth in his pants throb painfully, begging for more stimulating sensation from his cat.

"Oh, Train, that's not fair… What am I supposed to do with this?"

Train didn't need to know what Creed was referring to as he had felt it against his thigh the entire make-out session. He chuckled at his libidinous roommate, patting the back of his head. Creed took that as another green light and latched back on to his neck.

The cat cried louder than he expected at the sudden contact, but pulled his friend away again. Train was a lot stronger than Creed, so he didn't need to worry about being able to stop his insatiable roommate.

"Creed, you said you'd follow my lead. That's enough."

Creed collapsed on his love sadly and nodded. Train could still feel his friend's lump against his thigh and laughed again.

"As for that? Take a cold shower." He slipped out from under Creed, ducking into the bathroom first. "But after I take a warm one. I'm still all sweaty from the run. And no, you can't follow."

He laughed at a sputtering Creed who was clearly upset at Train for reading his thoughts. The college student laid on the couch a bit longer, feeling his issue was not going to go away any time soon. He debated taking care of it himself, but somehow that seemed like a shallow act after what had just happened. Instead, he contented himself with very non-sensual thoughts, hoping that would do the trick to lessen his lump.

After a while he felt it subside and sighed in relief. However, Train's timing couldn't have been worse as he stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled at Creed knowingly, who returned the motion with a glare.

Creed sat upright, glaring at his cat as he felt his problem quickly return. "You are **literally** the worst…"

Train shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the doorway of the bathroom. Creed stood and pushed his beloved out of the way forcefully, shutting the door behind and turning the water on as cold as it would go. He leaned his hand against the wall and waited as the heat subsided, then resumed a normal shower.

Once finished he dried off and marched into the bedroom, noticing his cat was laying with his back facing Creed.

Creed stopped and stared at his love, taking in the full view of his lean body curving elegantly under the blankets. Feeling his roommate's eyes on him, Train explained himself.

"Can… I sleep here tonight with you? I… Don't want to have nightmares anymore…"

He kept seeing visions of his parents being slaughtered, which always changed to his friends quickly, Train being unable to stop the horrific acts. He began to feel himself fall into a dark hole which Creed sensed as he curled up next to his cat.

He gave Train a quick kiss on the cheek and wrapped his arms around his love's waist.

"You don't even have to ask. _**I**_ have no boundaries set. Whatever you want or need from me you can just take. No questions asked."

Train rolled over and embraced his friend as well, needing the physical contact badly. It had felt like ages since they laid like this, and Train was just now realizing how much he had been craving it.

"Thank you, Creed."

Creed kissed him on the head and rubbed his back gently. "No, Train, thank **you** …"

* * *

The silver student woke up first, a jubilant smile on his face upon seeing his beloved was still resting peacefully in his arms. It was a marvelous confirmation that the events of last night had not been a dream.

_While Train still may not love me… It seems like he's at least willing to me a shot so he can figure out what his feelings are._

Creed had been praying the signals he had gotten from his cat when he was in the hospital were what they appeared to be. And after last night, the law student was overjoyed to see his gut had been right. Even though Train was still not at his level, and there were still boundaries Creed needed to abide by, he was hopeful that if he followed his beloved's rules, Creed would be able to achieve his lifelong dream of being with the cat.

Beaming lovingly at his roommate's tranquil face, he lightly caressed Train's cheek, slowly gliding his lithe fingers to his cat's chocolate locks, reveling in their velvety texture.

_He slept quite soundly. It's good to know I am able to provide him enough comfort to prevent more nightmares._

As he admired his cat's face, his eyes fell to the rest of Train's body, noting his roommate had fallen asleep in just his shorts. Creed smiled insidiously and brought his other hand to Train's stomach. He traced every muscle of his abs slowly, memorizing their feel, relishing every inch of their rugged pattern. Creed slithered his fingers up Train's stomach and to his chest. Again, he outlined his cat's pecks, idling a bit as he inched closer to his love's nipples.

Another devious smile as he remembered the weak spot he had discovered last night. He was only able to play with them a little before Train stopped him. He decided to respect his love's boundaries and contented himself with Train's collar bone, gliding his finger blissfully against his roommate's silky skin.

His ears perked as he heard a moan come from Train. Creed let his eyes remain on his cat's body, a satisfied smile never wavering.

"Good morning, Train." Creed said, now tracing his love's other peck.

Train rubbed his eyes and stretched a little, but stopped when he felt Creed running his fingers up and down his stomach. Looking down at his friend, the cat cocked an eyebrow.

"What're you doing?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and continued his actions. "Just enjoying the view…"

Train rolled his eyes and relaxed against his pillows anyway. He couldn't argue that it felt good, so he decided not to stop his silver bedmate. However, when he felt a small bit of warm air touch the sensitive area of his chest, he twitched a little and gasped quietly.

He glared down at Creed who was smiling happily, clearly proud of himself for getting that reaction from Train.

"Not cool…" Train said, but relaxed once more against the cushioned bed.

Creed ran his hand up Train's stomach and to his chest again, this time with a little more pressure. "I can't help it. I'm just so happy to have found your weakness."

The silver man brushed his thumb across the sensitive skin quickly, earning another gasp from his cat, louder this time. Before Creed could do it again, Train grabbed his wrist and moved his hand back to his stomach, giving his friend a warning glance.

Creed smiled and resumed caressing the rest of his cat's upper body, enjoying each shiver his beloved gave him. Train permitted the touches for a few more minutes before he reached for his phone quickly, moving his body away from a now very despondent Creed.

"What time is it?"

Creed peaked out the window, trying to judge by the rising sun. "I'd say about 6:30?"

Train sighed and rolled back over, his roommate's hands once again on his chest, this time drawing circles lightly with his nail.

"Good, I still have time." The written portion of his test was today, but his alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour.

"Perfect!" Creed said cheerfully, pouncing on his ill-prepared prey.

Train yelped a bit when Creed pushed his shoulders back and wrapped his legs around the cat's hips. The yelp quickly changed to a gratifying moan when his friend's mouth made contact with his neck. His breath quickened as Creed's tongue traced along his collar bone, then up the side of his neck and to his ear. His body squirmed harshly when Creed nibbled at his lobe, his hands sliding up his roommates back.

Creed felt his love's nails dig a bit into him as he bit tenderly at his earlobe. The silver student smiled to himself at the reactions and nibbled a little harder. Hearing another loud moan, Creed moved his lips to Train's neck again and sucked hard at his fair skin. Train dug his fingers into Creed's back more, which made the silver student moan in response. Any touches from his cat were wonderful.

When Creed pulled away a little, he laughed quietly, noticing Train a red circle on his love's neck from the night before. He kissed under his beloved's chin hungrily, proud of himself for making his mark on his cat.

_I don't think Train will be happy about it though!_

Creed moved his lips from Train's chin to his cheek, then his forehead, then his lips. Train caught them willingly, still raking his nails across his friend's back earnestly, enjoying the sensation he was receiving.

Creed slid his tongue against Train's, pushing their lips together as hard as he could. Train returned the advances zealously, pressing just as hard against Creed. The cat's hands slid up to his friend's shoulders, leaving small scratch marks as he did so.

The blue eyed teen moaned loudly into his cat's mouth and moved his hands down Train's arms, then up against his body. He pressed them against his hips, then to his waist, then up his stomach, and across his chest. Creed felt Train's chest spring upwards against his hands when he ran his thumb against his sensitive skin again. The silver student did it a few more times, applying a little more pressure each time he did it.

Each time he did this he was rewarded with a louder moan, followed by an adorable purr. Creed continued twirling his tongue around his cat's, probing every inch of his golden love's mouth as he could.

After a few more minutes Creed pulled away from Train's lips and planted kisses down his chin, neck, landing finally on his chest. He could feel his love's heart beat violently against his lips as his chest fell and rose rapidly. Boldly, Creed put his lips against the sensitive skin of Train's nipple and circled it with his tongue.

Creed felt Train's entire body convulse as his nails drew a bit of blood from his back. When he heard his cat cry out powerfully, he felt his nether regions turn from a small lump to a desirous throb. In that moment, Creed felt the all years of yearning, love, and lust he had for Train burst from his chest and encapsle his body. His soul screamed for more of his cat, his mind going blank as his body moved on its own.

The silver man couldn't stop himself as he adjusted his hips so they were on top of Train's and pressed gently, gauging his cat's response. Train didn't seem to notice at first since he was too preoccupied with what his mouth was doing, so he pressed a little harder. This got a reaction from the cat, but not the one Creed wanted.

Train removed his hands from Creed's back and pushed him up by the shoulders. Creed could only stare at his beloved innocently, his body begging for more, but his mind knowing he had pushed too far.

He watched helplessly as his cat caught his breath, letting out a needy moan when Train licked his lips and shut his eyes.

"Too much, Creed…" He was still trying to control his breath as he spoke, shutting his eyes against the warmth as he waited for it to pass.

Creed nodded at his cat sadly.

Train sighed and dropped his friend so he landed back on top of him, ignoring the throbbing pulse coming from Creed against his thigh. His roommate was breathing heavily against his chest, nuzzling his face deep into Train's neck. He allowed his friend to snuggle on top of him, but shifted when he felt Creed's lips back against his neck.

The kisses were more gentle this time, so Train allowed it for a few minutes. When he did pull his friend away, it was to accept his kisses on his lips instead, trying to offer his roommate a more innocent gesture so as not to recreate the events moments earlier.

Creed accepted his love's kisses eagerly, this time controlling the rest of his body as he tenderly pecked Train's lips, tip of his tongue poking lightly against Train's. He slithered his arms around Train's neck who exchanged the motion by wrapping his arms around Creed's waist.

The two remained like that for a while until Train heard a distant beeping sound. He jumped and pushed Creed away, frantically grabbing for his phone.

"Crap, it's been an hour and a half?!"

The cat jumped out of the bed and ran to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and shirt, hearing his roommate's whimpering sounds behind him.

Train rolled his eyes. "Creed, you know my test is today. I **can't** be late, I have to go!"

As he said that, he looked in the mirror attached to the dresser and yelled loudly. He placed his hands on either side of his neck and turned frighteningly to Creed.

He pointed to his neck accusingly, glaring at a now smiling college student. "You did this to me!"

Giggling, Creed beamed at his beloved. "Just marking my territory. Don't worry, they're only bruises. They'll be gone soon."

He growled at Creed's happy face and slipped a shirt on. Train then walked to their shared closet and grabbed a jacket, flipping the collar of it up so it covered his neck. He glanced back at the mirror and saw his problem was mostly covered and sighed.

Hearing another whimper coming from his roommate Train rolled his eyes again. He leaned forward and kissed him gently on the head, hoping that would satisfy his friend. The cat's gesture earned a happy yip from the college student as he smiled up at his love delightfully.

"Besides, don't you have an essay to write? I've been enough of a distraction, get to work!" He flicked Creed's forehead and left the room, closing the door after him.

Creed collapsed on the bed. He watched the door for a few more minutes, wishing his cat would return. He could still feel his need for Train throbbing in his pants and sighed. Moving his hands against himself now, he focused all his senses of the man who put him in this position.

"No way I'll be able to work with this going on…"

* * *

"I passed!"

Train came running into their apartment and jumped on the couch Creed had been reading on. The law student yelped as his cat landed next to him, almost knocking the book out of his hand. Train proudly presented a letter to his face. Creed blinked as he clutched his book tightly, catching his breath as he focused on the paper Train was showing him. He smiled and hugged his beloved tightly.

"That's great news, Train! I'm so proud of you!"

Train hugged him back quickly before pulling away and taking out his phone. "I need to tell the others."

Creed smiled lovingly at his cat, closing his book quietly and making his way to the kitchen. He pulled a box out of the fridge and put it on the small table in the kitchen. Creed had been expecting Train to receive the news today, but the law student had found out the results sooner.

Through a professor at school, he was able to contact someone in their local police department to inquire about his love's results. A little charm and flirting got Creed a long way with a young female officer and he was able to find out his cat's results before they were sent out. That gave him time to prepare a small celebration.

He opened the box to reveal a cake. On it was a little cat smiling just like Train. Circling the cat were the words, "Congratulations, Train". Creed licked his fingers from the bit of frosting he accidentally touched and heard a knock at their front door. He smiled to himself, knowing who it was and allowing his beloved to answer.

Train yelled loudly and embraced someone. "You're here?! WHat are you doing here?!"

Sven hugged his friend back, holding a box in one hand while the other patted the cat on the back proudly.

"Creed told us to come!" He replied, smiling over Train's shoulder at a happy Creed.

Eve stepped up beside him, holding a box of pizza they had picked up on the way over. "He told us you passed your test and asked if we could come celebrate."

Train hugged his younger friend happily, but his face showed confusion. "Creed told you? But, I literally just got the results just now."

From the kitchen, he could hear his roommate respond. "Let's just say, I have my connections."

The cat smiled gratefully at his friend as he embraced Eve a little tighter then invited them both in. "But, you came all this way on such short notice? And Eve, haven't you been buried in work since starting school?"

Eve nodded and placed the box of food down on their coffee table. "I have been, but it's been so long since we've seen you both and this is a huge moment for you. You didn't think you'd even pass high school and now you're on your way to becoming a detective."

Train smiled at his friends, "But… It's a **long** drive to get here. How did you get here so soon."

"Like we said, Creed told us. He called us two days ago to give us time to prepare for the trip. Look, we even brought an air mattress!"

The cat watched as Creed handed him a small cake. Train stared at it, then at his friends, then at his roommate. He put the cake down and embraced all three of them at once, mushing their heads together so he could kiss the top of each of them, lingering a little when he got to Creed. The two shared a quiet moment as they looked at each other, but were interrupted by a ringing sound from Creed's laptop.

"Oh, that must be Saya!"

Creed skipped over to the device and accepted the call. He turned the screen to his friends as he disappeared into the kitchen again to get plates and silverware. Train sat on the floor in front of the laptop and greeted his childhood friend happily.

"Hi, Saya!"

She smiled. "Hey, Train! Congratulations!" The cat beamed at her happily and she reached off screen to pull a young girl into frame. "Everyone, this is Lucia! Lucia, this is everyone!"

Eve and Sven were next to Train quickly, eager to meet the girl they had heard so much about. She had very dark skin and eyes, her raven colored hair falling along against her back and shoulders, light accent as she spoke.

"Hello. I've heard so much about you all. Pleasure to meet you!"

"Oh, she's so pretty!" Eve gushed through the screen, ecstatic to finally meet the girl.

Lucia blushed brightly and covered her face with her hands. "You are too."

Saya hugged the girl possessively and growled at Eve. "Hey, back off! She's spoken for! You have a man anyway!"

Sven wrapped his arm around the young girl's shoulder, his face ridden with joy. Creed had entered the room at this point handing everyone a plate and greeting Saya and her girlfriend as well. He had actually met her already during a video chat they had about a week ago.

Once they were settled and the conversation had dulled, Sven cleared his throat and grasped Eve's hand. He smiled down at the girl, who returned the gesture and addressed their friends.

"Guys… Eve and I have something we wanted to tell you. We didn't come all this way just for our hard working cat…"

Train rolled his eyes and took a big bite of pizza. "I don't know what could **possibly** be more important than me!"

Creed elbowed his love playfully who pretended to choke dramatically, but stopped when his roommate gave him an insisting look. He turned his golden eyes to his friends, waiting to hear what they had to say.

Eve, who had been hiding her hand since she walked in, finally revealed it, showing a flashy ring adorned her delicate, pearly fingers. Train and Saya screamed so loudly Sven and Eve had to cover their ears. Creed grabbed Eve's hand promptly, spouting congratulations as his eyes glistened at the glimmering diamond.

Saya was shaking her girlfriend by the shoulders, still screaming as Train flew at Sven, tackling him to the ground, giving him an intense noogie. Sven laughed and pushed his friend off, straightening his jacket as he stood.

"We've already heard an earful from our parents about making this choice at such a young age, so it's great to receive such happiness from you all. While we wished they were more understanding… " He looked at Eve who was blushing brightly as Creed obsessed over her ring. "When you know, you know…"

Train thought about those words and eyed his roommate subtly. He was still struggling with his feelings, and Sven's words hit home more than his green friend realized.

" _When you know, you know," huh? What does it mean if I_ _ **don't**_ _know… But also don't want to give it up…_

Removing his eyes from Creed, Train messed with Sven's hair one more time before running over to Eve and hugging her tightly, lifting her in the air as he spun them both around. He placed her in front of Saya so she could gush through the screen at her. The group's energy remained high for a while longer until they finally calmed down and resumed their normal conversations.

As they spoke, Sven threw the box he had entered with at Train. "Here, we got you something."

Train opened it hastily, ignoring Creed as he asked him to clean up his mess. He pulled out a t-shirt that had a picture of a small cat dressed as a detective. It was holding a magnifying glass over a bowl of milk, licking its lips hungrily.

The cat laughed and hugged his friend again. "Thanks! I'll wear this my first day on the force!"

As they settled down, Train scanned the room with a happy smile on his face. He watched as Eve nestled into her now fiance, leaning against his chest as she gazed adoringly at her ring. Saya's girlfriend had done the same, closing her eyes a little as she began to fall asleep, not used to talking with people at such a strange hour.

Train looked at Creed through the corner of his eye.

" _When you know, you know…"_

He questioned his heart again, trying to find an answer he knew Creed desperately needed.

_I… Still don't know… But, I do know I enjoy what we have right now. I enjoy his company and how he touches me, but my head and heart are still lost. However, I wouldn't trade what we have for anything. I know that's still not the answer he wants… But I think it's all I can give him right now._

Smiling, Train then reached out his hand and pulled his roommate closer. Creed didn't resist at all, only smiled wonderfully at his cat as he was pulled against Train's chest. He nestled his head into Train, sighing as he heard his beloved's heartbeat. He looked up at his golden love before meeting Saya's gaze. The girl nodded and smiled at her friend, then ran her fingers through Lucia's hair.

Creed entangled his fingers around his love's hand who spread his legs a little so the silver student could crawl between them. Creed brought Train's hands to his lips, kissed each finger gently, then ran his hand up and down his cat's arm.

The silver teen smiled and moved a little closer to Train, feeling his hero's hand tickle his back soothingly. He allowed his friends to run the conversations on their own, too lost in his beloved to really engage in anything other than him.

_Whether he loves me or not, if this is what I can get from him, I'll happily take it._


	18. Relationship Status

CW: More Yaoi in this chapter. Probably will be that way for the rest of the chapters as the story wraps up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

**Relationship Status**

"Rummy!" Train yelled triumphantly as he laid all his cards, literally, on the table.

"For the last time, we're playing **poker**!" Sven growled at his friend who was currently wearing a hat that read 'Groomsman'.

"Whatever, I still win!" The cat said as he began to pull in all the chips on the table.

"No you didn't! Get your hands off my cash, cat!" Sven smacked Train's hand roughly, causing the young man to pull back quickly and pout.

"As a matter of fact, I win." Said Charden calmly, revealing a full house.

"DAMNIT!" Jenos shouted, slamming his first on the table loudly, causing the chips and cards to jump in the air. "Rinslet is gonna kill me…" He pushed back his groomsmen's hat as well, raking his hands anxiously through his hair.

Train slapped his hat on the table, pointing an accusing finger at Charden. "Why is he even here?! He's not even part of the bridal party!"

Sven shrugged his shoulders as he slumped in his chair sadly, using his 'Groom' hat to cover his dejected face. "I'm beginning to question that myself…"

"Because you don't have a lot of friends, which made putting this together very difficult." The answer came from a new member, Lloyd Goldwynne, Sven's older half brother. Adorning his head was a hat that read 'Best Man', which he adjusted slightly so the brim was no longer blocking his view of the party guests.

Sven threw his cards at his brother. "I told you I didn't even want one! Now I'm out another fifty bucks thanks to this jerk!" He pointed his thumb at Charden, who was elegantly sipping a glass of wine that he had bought for himself.

Jenos threw a glare at the blonde man. "He thinks he's better than us. Look, he won't even drink the crap we brought!" As if making a point, Jenos finished the can of cheap beer the rest of them were drinking, throwing it on the floor angrily.

Creed frowned and picked up the can. "You really shouldn't throw garbage on someone else's floor. We're Llyod's guests tonight." The silver man walked to the bin against the wall for recycling, dropping said garbage into it lightly.

He turned back to the table and adjusted his hat that also read, 'Groomsman' and smiled. He was still so shocked and honored Sven considered him close enough to involve him as such an intimate part of his wedding. They were currently in the basement of Llyod's house celebrating Sven's last night as a single man before the big day.

Lloyd nodded in thanks at Creed, lighting a cigarette as he leaned back in his chair. "Sven, why can't all your friends be like him? He's the only one who's considerate and grateful for all that I've done. That includes you!" He pointed his cigarette at his brother who smacked it away harshly. "You know what, screw you. Creed, you wanna be my brother?"

Creed laughed lightly and took his seat next to Train. "I think if you get to know me, you'll learn I won't make a good brother."

"Pfft, anything would be better than this jerk." He shoved his brother roughly, who returned the gesture with a push of his own. The two began to tussle, ignoring the other men in the room. Train was cheering Sven on while Jenos glowered in the corner, mumbling something about Rinlset giving him a new hole in the head. Charden didn't seem bothered by any of this as he counted his money and sipped his wine contentedly.

Creed smiled at the room, feeling utter joy at the group. It had already been a year since Sven's engagement, and his green friend was getting married in a week.

_It's hard to believe how long it's been… We're no longer kids, but adults preparing to take on the world._

His first year at law school had gone very well. Again, he was sitting at the top of his class. This shocked his beloved beyond belief, who just couldn't understand how his roommate was able to maintain such high grades at such a prestigious school with such a difficult major.

Thinking of his cat, Creed beamed serenely at Train, sighing quietly as he watched the cat climb across the table to help his friend out. Now Sven, Lloyd, and Train were wrestling, his beloved trying to hold Llyod still for Sven.

He giggled and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand. Train had started his work as a police officer about nine months ago. The next steps were to go to school for criminal justice, so he could become a detective. While Creed encouraged Train to begin that journey now, his cat had told him he wanted to settle in as an officer first and wait until Creed was at least almost done school.

_He's the only one making any money right now, so I guess it makes sense that he wants to hold on to his job until we're both ready for the next step._

Thanks to Train's job, they were able to find a new apartment. This was great since Creed's housing arrangement was only going to be for the first year of school. Now that his beloved was working, they didn't need to worry about where they would go after that. Although their place was still small, neither of them cared. After everything they've been through, they didn't need much to survive.

"CREED! HELP ME!"

Creed was thrown from his thoughts when he heard his beloved calling his name. He laughed when he saw Train was being pinned down by Llyod, Sven cracking his knuckles above the cat. Apparently, Train had done something that made the brothers create an alliance against him.

The silver man shrugged his shoulders and took a very small sip of his beer, not enjoying the beverage at all, just drinking it to be kind to the host.

"You're a grown man, Train. I can't fight your battles for you."

Train gaped at his roommate. "How could you?! After everything we've been through?!"

Another shrugged as Creed grabbed the deck of cards, shuffling them skillfully, as if he had been doing it all his life. "Are we playing again or what? I'm feeling lucky this time."

Sven and Llyod released Train and sat back at the table. Train laid on the floor for a minute, waiting for the room to stop spinning before he stood up.

_How many am I at? Three? Four?_

Train had begun to lose count of how many beers he had. And considering he was such a 'lightweight', as his friends put it, it was not a good thing he lost count.

Finally, he kicked his legs in the air and jumped up, stumbling just a little as he stood, waiting for his body to find its balance. Once it did, he walked back over to his spot next to Creed, confident no one knew how drunk he was.

Creed frowned as his beloved sat next to him, noticing how wobbly his walk was. He eyed the empty can's surrounding his cat, counting four but knowing Train had more than that. When he saw his love open another one, Creed couldn't help but quietly voice his concerns.

"Train… Maybe you should slow down…"

Train took a big gulp and slammed the can down waving Creed's words away as if they were bugs in the air. "I'm fine, Creed, stop worrying."

The silver man sighed as Train leaned against him, watching as his cat's eyes closed and opened quickly, trying to make sure he stayed away. Creed brushed some hair out of his eye and smiled warmly.

_It's also been a year since we've taken a step forward in our relationship. I still haven't gotten_ _ **everything**_ _I want out of our physical relationship, but what I have gotten has been so wonderful._

Creed was physically frustrated by his cat taking things far slower than he wanted. However, he promised his love that he would follow his lead, no matter how long it took.

_Really, that doesn't hurt as much as still not hearing him say he loves me. He hasn't even voiced what our relationship is! Again, I'm trying to be patient, it's just so hard…_

While Creed's body was absolutely begging for more from his cat, his heart ached far worse knowing he still hadn't heard his partner say those three words he was dying to hear. Creed sighed to himself sadly, but when he felt his cat move against him, he smiled, grabbing his beloved's hand under the table. Train returned the gesture and blinked drunkenly at his cards.

"I have to say, I still can't believe I'm tying the knot before you and Rinslet, Jenos. What's the hold up?"

Jenos shrugged his shoulders as he eyed his cards with the utmost interest. His poker face was non-existent as he frowned noticeably at what he had. "Rins isn't the marrying type. Honestly, I feel like if I ever asked her, I'd get laughed all the way back to the jewelry store with my tail between my legs. She's been pretty vocal about it too."

Sven frowned at his friend, knowing Rinslet was one of Eve's bride's maids. "I didn't know that about her." He moved a few cards in his hands, his face revealing far less than Jenos'.

"Don't take it personally, Sven! Rins is **ecstatic** for you both. She loves weddings, just as long as **she** isn't the one walking down the aisle."

The green man was satisfied with this response and shoved his chips forward. "All in."

Lloyd eyed him wearily, then dropped his cards on the table. "I fold."

"Me too…" Jenos said angrily, mumbling once more about how he was going to be in the doghouse.

Creed looked at Charden, trying to read his face, then glanced at his cards. The silver man's face gave away nothing as he moved a few cards around, then pushed his pile of chips forward. "I'll call your bluff."

"As will I." Charden said, not even bothering to look at anyone else in the room.

Train squinted at his cards then showed them to Creed, "Is this a six, or a nine?"

Creed sighed at his cat, seeing he had a terrible hand and was too drunk to realize it. "Just fold, Love."

"Hey! No helping the drunk cat!" Sven said, pointing his finger at Creed's face, leaning his other hand on the table sternly.

Creed ignored the groom-to-be and pushed Train's cards down. "Train folds as well."

Train was about to object, but found he was too tired to do so and allowed his partner to fold for him. He rested his head against Creed's shoulder and concentrated on keeping his eyes open.

Sven growled and sat down. "Fine, whatever. No way I'm losing this time." The green man smiled and revealed his hand. "Four of a kind!"

Before he could claim his winnings, Charden put a hand up to stop him. With his other hand, he showed his cards as well. "Straight flush."

Sven's mouth dropped open when he saw the cards and watched helplessly as his money was taken from him once again. Creed slammed his hand on the table, a malicious grin on his face.

"Not so fast, pretty boy…" Everyone in the room waited as Creed paused for dramatic effect. He revealed his hand proudly, his words echoing painfully against the other players' ears. "Royal Flush."

Train raised his hands in victory for his roommate and hooted loudly. "We're rich!" He shouted as he flailed on the table, grabbing all the chips for his partner hungrily.

Jenos glared at Train's unsteady arms. "What do you mean ' **we're** rich'? That's Creed's winnings!"

Train slid his body across the table, pushing all the chips in front of Creed. "Because we're a team. What's mine is his and what's his is mine."

Creed smiled at his cat adoringly, his heart flying high at his beloved's words. Even though Train wouldn't say it, his words further confirmed the status of their relationship. While there wasn't technically a label on it, there was an understanding among everyone what they were.

_Still, I wish he'd just_ _**say** _ _it out loud. At least acknowledge what we have…_

Jenos wept and Sven growled as they watched their money leave them. Charden sipped his wine again, but everyone could clearly tell he was not happy at the outcome. Lloyd took the cards and began to shuffle quickly. "Again?"

Everyone in the room agreed except for Creed. He was watching his cat with worried eyes, noticing he could barely sit up straight now let alone play another round.

"Actually, I think Train and I should head to bed… He's not coherent enough for another game."

Jenos scowled at the silver man, "Hell no! You're not getting away with my money that easily!"

Sven looked unhappy about it, but agreed with Creed nonetheless. "Jenos, Creed's right. If Train stays awake much longer, he'll black out."

Jenos' eyes fell to the drunken cat who was falling into Creed's lap helplessly. "Okay, fine. Put him to bed and come back. I **will** have my revenge."

Creed helped his beloved stand as he spoke to Jenos. "No, I need to keep an eye on him tonight. Get your revenge on Charden. He took your money too." He turned his eyes on Llyod. "Which room is ours?"

Lloyd gestured up with his fingers. "Second floor, turn left, room at the end of the hallway."

Creed thanked him and walked his cat out, hearing Jenos now claim war on Charden, who didn't seem to care at all for the volume of his voice and accepted. He couldn't help but laugh at the mental image his mind created, heaving Train a little further on his shoulder.

"Train, you've been working out too much. You're getting way too heavy."

Train laughed as he leaned against his partner. "You love it…" He mumbled as he forced his feet to move forward.

Creed blushed and smiled, struggling as they reached the stairs, using the bannister to help him carry his muscular cat. "You know me too well."

Once they reached the top of the stairs Creed paused for a minute to take a breather and adjust Train's body against him. He followed instructions and turned left, seeing their room at the end of the very long hallway.

"This house is too damn big…"

Train laughed drunkenly at his partner's comment. "Well, his wife **is** a senator after all. They're **loaded**!"

The cat gestured a bit too wildly with his arm as Creed had to stop and steady them both again. Train fell against his roommate's back, making the silver man sigh as he now had to drag his cat's feet along the floor as he walked.

"You're too big for a piggy back ride, Love."

Train laughed at his partner again, his voice suddenly turning sensual as he whispered in Creed's ear. "There's other things I can ride…"

Creed felt his whole body catch on fire at his cat's comment.

_He must_ _**really** _ _be drunk if he's talking to me like that. That's so unlike him!_

Still, he couldn't help the lustful smile form on his face, moving a little quicker to their bedroom.

Once there, Creed blopped Train on the bed who fell with a thump. He took a minute to catch his breath before approaching his cat again. He took his shoes and socks off, placing them to the side of the bed gently. Next, he went to unbuckle Train's belt and was met with a moan. Creed smiled mischievously at his cat.

"Oh, so it's like that huh?" Creed said voluptuously as he undid Train's buckle a bit quicker, planting a kiss square on his lips.

Train returned with a sloppy kiss of his own, grabbing the back of Creed's head clumsily. Once Creed had his cat's belt undone, he whipped it off quickly, now going to remove his pants. Train pulled away from the kiss and attempted to nibble at Creed's ear, but missed and ended up biting his neck instead. Still, Creed moaned loudly, enjoying any contact he could have with his beloved.

Once Trian's pants were gone Creed pushed Train down and removed his shirt, throwing it to the side as his eyes drank in his cat. His mouth crashed against Train's hastily, biting and licking his lips as his cat moaned loudly against him. The alcohol in his system made everything Creed was doing to him so much more enjoyable.

As Creed ravished Train's neck, the cat moved his hands to Creed's belt, trying to undo his pants as well, but finding his fingers were not working the way he wanted. He felt himself growl in frustration, which made Creed laugh as he undid his own pants, removing them along with his shirt, tossing them off the bed.

Train crawled back on the bed sluggishly, Creed following quickly after until their heads met the pillows at the top. Once Train was settled in, Creed attacked his mouth again, able to taste the alcohol on his breath. The silver man didn't care as he brought his hands up Train's stomach and to his chest, pinching his cat's nipples harshly, earning a fantastic cry from his beloved.

Creed did this a few more times before he replaced his hands with his mouth, nibbling and licking at the tender skin, feeling himself growing more excited below his waist. He pulled away from Train's chest and sucked at his neck, putting his hips above Train's as he pressed down hard.

Train cried out even louder, clawing at Creed's back fiercely as his lips tried to find the man's neck. He gave up after a bit, realizing he wasn't able to focus enough to know where his partner was to kiss him. Instead he moaned louder, not caring if anyone in the mansion heard his cries.

Creed pushed himself harder against Train, unable to contain the warmth in his pants anymore. He grinded back and forth quickly, relishing every sound his cat made. His motions grew faster and stronger, his body ready to explode at the feel of his beloved against him.

He stopped his grinding and moved his hands to his cat's boxers. He slid his hands down the garment, carsessing Train's inner thighs lustfully, earning an excited gasp from Train. Creed could feel his cat member against his hands, noticing it was not changing in size.

This caused Creed to stop suddenly as the reality of the situation dawned on him. He pulled his mouth away from Train and eyed him curiously. Train was panting lasciviously, mumbling for Creed to keep going, but his head kept falling backwards, his beloved unable to hold it up on his own.

Creed pulled his hands from Train's boxers and wrapped them behind his love's head instead. He shook him a little, even tapped his cheek lightly to get some kind of reaction. Train rolled his head against Creed's hands, then leaned forward to try and kiss him, missing him by a mile and instead falling against his chest.

Creed held his cat, rubbing his back lovingly, running his fingers through his hair. "Train, do you know what's going on right now?"

Train was silent for a minute and Creed began to worry he had passed out. When his cat did respond, it was mostly mumbled nonsense he couldn't understand. He sighed and rested his cat's head against his chest. "Do you even know who's holding you right now?"

Train didn't respond again, his breathing slowing down and his body went limp. He jumped awake again after a few seconds and kissed Creed's neck. The kisses were sloppy and uncoordinated while the rest of his body remained limp.

The silver man felt his heart break, realizing he had almost made a big mistake. "Train, do you know where you are right now?"

Another pause, then the cat responded, words quiet and muddled. "We're… In a bed…?"

Creed laughed a little. "Yes, and where is that bed?"

Train squinted around the room, not able to see the pictures on the wall, not recognizing the furniture or even the paint color. His eyes snapped open as he tried to stand up straight, the alcohol in his system making that impossible.

"Oh my God, Creed have we been kidnapped?!"

Another laugh left the silver man's lips as he rested Train against the bed. "No, Love. We're safe, don't worry…"

He pulled the blankets up over his cat's shoulder, kissing his cheek gently. Train cooed at the gesture, smiling as he shut his eyes, rolling on his side and against his partner's chest.

Creed frowned wistfully, feeling relieved that he didn't do something Train wasn't able to say yes to, but sad that he had to wait longer to have his cat the way he wanted.

The law student placed Train's head against his chest, wrapping his arms lovingly around his back. He kissed him one more time before drifting off to sleep as well, his dreams completing what he wished he could have with Train.

* * *

Train opened his eyes and groaned loudly at the sun's ray that entered from the window. He pressed his face against Creed's chest, hoping to block out the unwanted brightness.

"Ugh… My head…"

He felt Creed move against him and grabbed him fearfully. "Don't move, you're my shield from the monster."

Creed blinked and turned his head to the window, laughing quietly when he realized what Train meant. He hugged his cat closer, kissing him gently on top of his head. "It's okay, Love, I'll protect you."

"UGH! It hurts!"

Creed reached to the nightstand, presenting his cat with a glass of water. Train drank it quickly, not even stopping to take a breath. He handed the empty glass back to Creed, eyes still shut as he put his head against the pillow.

"What happened last night?"

His partner was silent at that question, making Train nervous. Using his hand to block the sun, he looked at Creed between his fingers. "Creed… Did I do something that hurt you?"

Creed waved his love's words away. "No, no. It's more about what **almost** happened…"

Train leaned up on his elbows, doing his best to ignore the pain in his head and eyed his roommate nervously. "What do you mean?"

The silver man sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, avoiding Train's gaze. "We almost… You know…" Seeing his beloved's eyes widen, Creed continued swiftly. "We didn't! I promise! You were so out of it I knew you wouldn't have been able to consent, so I stopped and put you to bed."

Creed could feel his partner was still uneasy and tried to comfort him more. "We didn't do anything that we haven't already done. I promise."

Train sighed and laid back down, rubbing his temples. "Thank you, Creed."

Creed laid down next to him and ran his fingers across Train's arm, hoping to ease the pain his beloved felt. "I told you I would follow your lead. You acted like you wanted to, but you didn't even know where we were so I knew it was wrong. You even asked me if we had been kidnapped."

The golden man laughed at this and stopped quickly when he realized it hurt his head. His hands were back to rubbing his temples, eyes shut tight against the blaring sun.

Creed stood from the bed and shut the blinds, hoping to give his cat a break. Seeing Train relax, he smiled and laid back next to him, this time his hands tracing the muscles of his chest and stomach. Train mewed lightly at the motions, the sensation helping him forget his headache.

The silver man noted that his touches appeared to help his cat, so he started trailing gentle kisses along his neck and shoulder. Train purred peacefully at the caresses, beginning to forget about the pain in his head.

When Creed was against his neck, Train stopped him and pulled his partner to his lips, capturing them with his own as he held softly onto Creed's chin. Creed happily obliged his love, gingerly coiling his tongue against Train's. He felt his cat run his hands through his hair and felt his body press needily against Creed's. The silver man cupped Train's cheek with one hand, using his other to tickle Train's arm and shoulder.

They remained like that for a while, kissing and caressing each other affectionately, until a loud knock at the door reminded Train of the pain in his head. He groaned painfully and clutch his head again, pulling away from his partner as he shoved his head underneath a pillow.

"Wake up, sleeping beauties! It's time for breakfast!" Came Jenos' sing song voice, the man very obviously awareTrain was hung over.

"GO AWAY!" Train yelled into the bed, pillow held tight against his ears.

Silence, then the loud, rapid banging resumed, causing the cat to scream into the bed. Creed grumbled and stood from the bed, making his way to the door that Jenos seemed intent on attacking. The law student whipped it open furiously, glaring bitterly at the man before him.

"I just got him comfortable. Either come back with several glasses of water or **go away**."

Jenos rolled his eyes at Creed, knowing the silver man enough to understand he was mad, but not enough to cause him any physical harm. He turned away, waving his hand in the air as he walked down the hall.

"Geeze, I thought the cat would want some food to help his hangover. Fine, be that way. More bacon for me!"

Creed watched him go angrily, then heard his cat climbing out of the bed sluggishly.

"Food does sound really good right now…" Train mumbled to himself.

The college student moved to sit him back down, "Rest. I'll bring you up a plate."

Train brushed him away mindfully and walked towards the door. "No, I'll get up. I don't think lying in bed all day will help anything anyway."

He looked around the room for a few minutes, eyes finally falling on his shirt. He moved to the end of the bed to find his and Creed's pants as well. He tossed his roommate his clothes, while slipping on his own. Creed took his shirt and pants and got dressed along with his cat.

Now both fully clothed, the pair smiled at each other and Train grabbed his partner's hand, tangling their fingers together as they walked down the hallway.

* * *

Creed was sitting on a hotel bed, typing furiously in a slight panic. He had been working all day on this essay, and he needed to get it done quickly before the night's events began.

Train was on the floor next to the bed, trying to beat his sit-ups record. His shirt was off and he was sweating pretty bad, since he had just finished beating his push up record moments earlier. This made it extremely hard for Creed to concentrate due to his eyes constantly darting to his cat and the heat forming in his gut.

With another glance at Train the silver man sighed and eyed him ardently. "Train, do you **have** to do that here? There's a gym on the first floor."

The golden man shook his head, but kept moving his chest up and down. "No. You said we don't have long until the rehearsal starts, so I'm just squeezing in a quick set before I get in the shower."

Tonight was the rehearsal dinner for Eve and Sven's wedding. Eve's family had booked the swankiest hotel in town and paid for the wedding party's room. Train had gleefully accepted the offer, looking forward to a free pampering. While Creed felt a little guilty at the wonderful gift, he couldn't deny it would be nice being catered to a little. He had been so busy with school lately, he felt like he deserved it.

Another sigh from Creed, this one a bit more frustrated. "Okay, but I need to finish this before we leave. I don't want to think about this essay during the rehearsal or during the wedding tomorrow. Can't you do it somewhere else in the room at least?"

Their room was absolutely enormous. It was hard to tell it wasn't a suite just by looking at it. The bedroom was separate from a living area and a full kitchen complete with a floating island and dining area. The living room had a wall that was basically just a large window, three full couches, two coffee tables, and a TV that was the same size as their king bed. The walls were white and trimmed with gold, which Train had convinced himself was real and became obsessed with. On top of all this, they were given free room service courtesy of Sven's brother, who didn't want to be outdone by Eve's family.

All in all, the pair had been enjoying their stay. Neither of them had ever been treated so richly and while it wasn't their style, they decided to view it as a mini vacation.

Train kicked his feet up, jumping off the ground and bent backwards when he stood, stretching his stomach and chest. He then bent his left arm across his chest, followed by his right and walked away from the bed.

"Geeze, sorry I didn't want to be alone. I see how it is, I'll just go shower."

Creed didn't bother to answer his beloved, knowing he was just trying to get a reaction out of him. He glanced at the clock next to their bed and typed faster. He was almost done, but they were beginning to run out of time. At this point it was a matter of wrapping his thoughts up.

After another fifteen minutes he hit save and closed his laptop. Looking at the time again, he let out a breath of relief. "Just made it."

Creed still needed to get ready as well. Luckily, he already had his clothes put aside, so all he had to do was shower and change and he'd be ready to go. The rehearsal and dinner were both in the hotel they were staying at, so they didn't have to worry about traffic or transportation.

_I'll have to proof read it later, but at least I got it done. And Train should be finished in the shower by now._

His ears perked when he heard water being either turned on or off. Frowning, Creed put his laptop to the side and rushed to the bathroom. The door was closed and he could hear his cat moving around in there. Creed knocked on the door, anxiety beginning to rise.

"Train? Are you **starting** your shower or **ending** your shower?"

"Starting, why?" Train's voice responded, echoing against the tall bathroom walls.

Creed banged a little harder. "Are you **kidding** me?! You had all that time while I finished my work and you're just gettin in **now**? You should be done already!"

Although he couldn't see his partner, he just knew he was shrugging his shoulders. "I needed to stretch some more. I'll be quick, don't worry."

The silver man growled, then sighed. "Can I at least brush my teeth?"

"Sure, door's open."

Creed opened the door slowly, making sure he wasn't going to accidentally knock it into his cat. The room was filled with fog and he could see Train's silhouette against the shower curtain. He swallowed and hit himself in the head a little, stopping his mind from getting distracted by his partner. Still, he couldn't help but take a few glances while he moved to the sink. He even turned his back to the sink and watched Train while he brushed his teeth, feeling an all to familiar warmth resurfacing.

The silver man licked his lips when he finished brushing his teeth, allowing his mind to wonder as he took in Train's figure behind the curtain. He decided to stay there a bit longer, maybe even get a glimpse of his cat walking out.

"Enjoying the show?"

Creed jumped at the voice, not realizing he had let out a moan and was drooling a little. He wiped his mouth and straightened himself up. "Just… Waiting for you to finish so I can get in."

A pause, then a laugh, followed by Train's strong arm reaching out from behind the curtain, taking hold of Creed's wrist. Creed yelped as he was pulled into the shower, spitting water out of his mouth as Train pulled him directly under the spout.

"Train! My clothes!" Creed was fully clothed when he was dragged into the shower with his cat and they were quickly growing heavy with the weight of the water.

His cat's joyful laugh switched his attention from his discomfort to his heart's deepest desires. Train was standing in front of him, completely absent of any clothes. The water dripped down his frame and clung to his well sculpted body like a waterfall falling against a rugged mountain. His chestnut hair flattened against his rakish face, exposing how long it actually was.

Creed brushed his hair out of his face and licked his lips again, feeling a craving build in his torso that he knew he couldn't fight. He took a step towards his cat, his blue eyes gleaming with thirst.

"Oh, Train, I do hope you realize what you've done..."

Train stopped his laughter and looked at his partner, seeing the lust clear on his face. He couldn't help but feel his body responding to Creed's implications, and the silver man noticed it eagerly.

"Good, looks like you've accepted your fate." Creed said as he closed the distance.

He dived at Train, pinning him against the wall, kissing him fiercely. The cat met his fierceness with greed of his own, pulling his partner by the waist and against his chest. Their tongues danced with one another ambitiously, their bodies pressed to close, they could feel each other's hearts beat.

The silver man moved his hands away from the wall and down Train's body. He traced every inch of his frame possessively, feeling his wet pants becoming more and more uncomfortable as his member had begun to grow exceedingly large.

His cat must have felt this press against his own exposed phallus because he let out a loud moan and kissed him harder, wrapping one of his legs around Creed's ankle so their hips shoved against each other. The blue eyed man started to grind his hips against Train, which caused his cat to pull away.

"Wait…" Train said breathlessly, making Creed worry he had gone too far again. Instead, he gasped felicitously as he felt his cat's hands undoing his belt, unzipping his pants, and pulling them to the shower floor.

Seeing the astonished look on Creed's face, Train laughed and kissed his neck. "Your belt was hurting me."

Creed moaned loudly at the feel of his beloved's lips against his skin and bit his bottom lip when he felt Train suck at his skin. The silver man noticed that Train was definitely taking more control now, but he wasn't willing to let him win that easily.

He pushed his now exposed member against Train's, brushing them lightly together at first, using more pressure when he heard his cat's beautiful sounds. With the help of the water providing lubrication, Creed was able to increase his speed, moaning and gasping ferociously as his love bit his shoulder harshly, then kissed and licked it as if he was sorry.

"Oh, Train…" Creed moaned, moving his mouth so it swept across his partner's ear. "Do it again…"

Train compiled and did it a little bit harder than before, sucking at his neck intensely which made Creed cry out in his ear. This woke something up in Train as he pressed his hips against Creed as well, matching his grinding movements savagely, biting his roommate's earlobe. They grinded against each other for a while longer, their hips moving rhythmically together as if they could read each other's thoughts, feeling exactly what the other wanted and responding immediately.

Eventually Creed couldn't take it anymore and pulled back a little, hearing his cat moan painfully as he tried to pull him back for more. The silver man smiled and kissed his cat's neck lovingly, then moved his hand against his cheek.

"Trust me… It'll be worth it."

Train looked at him confused until he felt Creed's hand between his legs. His fingers were strong, yet delicate, hungry, yet gentle. When Creed placed his thumb against the tip, Train felt his vision blur a little bit, knees going weak as his partner caught him with his other arm. The golden cat fell in Creed's arms willingly, unable to focus as his partner's thumb circled the tip of his shaft.

He felt his breath pick up rapidly as Creed moved his hand back and forth slowly, grateful the water made the motion easier. Train felt himself falling again and clutched Creed's shoulders quickly, trying to focus on not falling so these sensations wouldn't end.

As the golden man pulled himself against Creed he kissed his shoulders again, gently since his whole body was beginning to shake and he didn't think he was capable of doing much more. His partner's hand moved faster and faster, setting his whole body on fire as he shut his eyes tight. Train buried his head into Creed's neck, moaning loudly into him, his knees quivering violently as warmth surrounded his body.

Feeling himself lose control of his body, Train lifted his head so he could breathe better, pressing his face against Creed's.

"C-Creed…" He moaned quietly, not sure what he was feeling, but knowing he didn't want it to stop.

Hearing his cat call his name Creed felt himself ready to explode. Noticing Train had found stability by holding on to his shoulders, Creed removed his other hand from his love's back and placed it on his own member, moving his hand as quickly against himself as he was on Train.

"Say it again, Train…" Creed moaned into his beloved's ear. "Say my name again…"

Train cried gasped and moaned, holding even tighter to his partner's shoulders, realizing he was about to collapse soon. "Creed…" He said it again and again and again, each time louder than the last.

Each time his cat said his name he pumped faster against himself and Train, shouting loudly into his love's ear. "Train!"

As he said this, he felt himself explode against Train's thigh. Soon after, Train screamed as well, returning Creed's mess with one of his own.

They both stood there against each other, catching their breath while using the other for support. After a few minutes, Train felt his body fall away and slide against the shower wall, grabbing at his hair tightly, as if he was trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

"Wow…" He said between gasps, eyes shut as his legs fell flat against the tiles.

Creed collapsed next to him, falling between his cat's legs and cuddling against his stomach. "That… Was another dream coming true…"

He looked up at his cat, who was panting wildly, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure out what that feeling was. Creed giggled at his beloved and wrapped his arms around his waist as he snuggled closer, ignoring the water that fell against his back.

"Your innocence is so cute…"

Train laughed between deep breaths and moved his hands so they were against Creed's back. They fell with a thump, the cat clearly not having regained full control of his motor skills yet.

"How…. Where… Did you learn to do that…?"

Creed smiled with a bit of sadness and mischief. "Well… I did live with **that** woman for eighteen years… I've seen some things. Back then I didn't quite understand it, but as I got older and met you, I realized what she was doing and actually… **Learned** something."

He looked up at his love, feeling his heart swell at the satisfied look Train had. "Looks like one of the worst things she ever did to me is turning out to be the best lesson she ever taught me."

Train caught his breath and moved his hands to comfort his partner, but Creed waved his pity away, nuzzling against him even more. "I've also had a lot of practice on myself… When the one thing you desire doesn't even know you exist, you learn how to 'take care' of yourself."

The cat hugged his partner a little closer, running his fingers through his wet hair. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to notice you…"

Creed swooned at the gesture, smiling blissfully at his cat's loving touch. "Don't apologize, Love. I told you a million times: I'll wait the rest of the life if that's what it takes to make you mine."

Train kissed the top of his Creed then rested his cheek against it. Creed ran his fingers up and down his beloved's arm, feeling Train's heart slow against his face. The loving embrace they shared reminded him of why they were there and jumped from Train's embrace.

The golden man looked frightened at his roommate's sudden jolt, pulling his arms back quickly as if he had just electrocuted the man unknowingly.

"We're gonna be late!" Creed yelled at his cat as he stripped off the rest of his clothes, throwing them out of the shower. He then turned to his cat and pushed him out as well, closing the curtain quickly behind him.

Train sat on the floor for a few minutes, blinking in confusion before his back landed on the tiles loudly, the cat rolling on the ground laughing. "Guess it's a good thing we were already in the shower, huh?"

"SHUT UP AND GO GET DRESSED!"

After a few more puffs of chuckles, Train stood and left the room, slipping a little on the wet floor.

* * *

Sven was pacing back and forth, biting his fingers anxiously. He looked at the clock again, seeing it was now ten past their start time and he was still minus two groomsmen. The green man looked around the room again, doing a mental head count of who was there.

Jenos was leaning against the wall, checking his phone as Rinslet yelled at him for something he probably did earlier in the day. His brother was talking to their mother, who was smiling happily at her son. His bride-to-be was in the corner with her parents, going over plans with her two older, twin sisters. Even Saya was there, poking fun at her girlfriend who was obviously enjoying the teasing. But still, no Creed or Train.

He growled and continued his pacing until he felt a kind hand against his back.

"Sven, calm down. They'll be here soon, don't worry."

Sven looked at Saya a little more harshly then he meant to. He sighed and apologized. "Sorry, I'm just stressed. I expected this from Train, but I figured since he was with Creed he'd get the cat in line and make sure he was on time!"

Saya laughed at her stressed friend and grabbed his shoulder so he would stop pacing. "They'll be here, trust me. They're probably just… busy…"

Sven threw his hands in the air. "Well if they would stop making out for five seconds maybe they'd be on time!"

He said this a little too loud as several of the people in the room looked at him. Jenos laughed at his words which got him a smack from Rinslet and Saya's girlfriend giggled as well. Sven looked over at Eve and her parents, making sure they didn't hear anything and sighed when he saw their conversation kept going as normal.

Saya saw where his eyes went and smiled. She turned her friend so he was facing the girl and squeezed his shoulders tightly. "You see that beautiful girl there? Does she look stressed to you?"

Sven watched his fiance as she smiled at her parents then hugged her mother. The groom-to-be felt himself relax a little as he watched her.

"No… She seems very happy."

Saya nodded firmly, "That's because she knows tomorrow is going to be the best day of her life. Not everything is going to go according to plan tomorrow, but fate doesn't care about plans. No matter how much work was put into them. There are always going to be bumps in the road, but this one is **so small** that if you fall apart from it, then maybe you don't deserve her."

She laughed at Sven's scowl and slapped him on the back. "You know what I mean. Just get some perspective and calm down. Ten minutes isn't going to ruin the weekend."

As if the pair's ears were burning, Train and Creed came running into the room.

"WE'RE HERE!" Train yelled as he ran through the door, Creed following quickly after.

Sven turned to them, anger in his eyes. "Where have you been? Nevermind, I don't want to hear it, just get to your spots!"

Saya cleared her throat which caught Sven's attention. He exhaled heavily and rubbed his eyes. "I mean… It's fine, let's just get started."

As he walked away, Train ran up to Saya, grabbing her in a huge hug and spinning her in the air. Saya screamed playfully and hugged her best friend back. They hadn't seen each other since her flight came in, so they were both looking forward to this moment.

When Train put her down she squeezed him one more time. "It's so good to see you!" She pulled away and brushed off his shoulders. "And you're looking quite dapper! You clean up nice, cat boy!"

Train smiled and hugged her one more time. "Same to you! I've been looking forward to seeing you for so long!"

"It's all he's been talking about." Creed said as he approached the duo.

The old him would have been fuming with jealousy seeing his cat embrace someone else like that. But after everything that had happened, after the way their relationship had blossomed since high school, Creed didn't feel an ounce of the green eyed monster. Instead, he was overjoyed to see Saya. The girl had helped him out so much the last year and a half, and he felt like he owed her so much.

Creed broke the two apart and pulled Saya to his chest, resting his head on top of the short girl's raven hair. "I've missed you…"

Saya smiled and embraced her silver friend. "I've missed you more!"

"Hey! Can we reunite later? I'm **starving** and if dinner will look anything like this hotel, I wanna get this show on the road!" Jenos yelped when Rinslet elbowed him. He frowned at his girlfriend and took his position at the end of the line behind Sven.

The trio laughed at their friend and took their places as well. Saya was standing right next to Eve. Since she was the maid of honor she got the closest spot to the bride. Eve's sisters stood after her, followed by Rinslet who would be paralleled to her boyfriend when they walked down the aisle. Lloyd stood next to Sven, followed by Train then Creed. Sven took his spot across from Eve, smiling warmly at his soon-to-be wife.

He squeezed the blonde's hands lovingly, who returned the gesture with a cheerful smile of her own.

Sven turned to the officiant, beaming with pride. "Alright, let's do this!"

All in all the rehearsal went well. There were a few things they needed to go over such as when the family would enter and the order of the bridal party. After their parents walked in and sat at the front row, Jenos and Rinslet would enter and take their spots at the end. They would be followed by Creed and one of Eve's sisters, the Train and her other sister. Next, Saya and Llyod would enter, followed finally by the bride and her father. Sven would be waiting at the altar bride.

Train watched his green friend across the table mumbling to himself, Sven trying to memorize exactly what would happen tomorrow. The cat used his spoon to flick some peas at him, causing the man to jump and turn.

"Sven, chill. Tomorrow is going to be awesome!"

Seeing the groom was still anxious he went to flick more peas at him before Creed's gentle hand stopped him. Train watched as his partner gestured with his head at Eve's parents, noticing they were giving him a dirty look. The golden man slumped in his seat a little bit and ate a spoonful of peas instead, making a disgusted scowl as he swallowed the hated vegetables. Train still hated any food that was green, but he ate them to appease Creed.

The silver man smiled at his cat and put his hand on his knee under the table. Train placed his hand on top of Creed's and tangled their fingers together. The cat boy felt his roommate rub his thumb against the back of his hand, so Train did the same as he forced down another spoonful of peas.

Jenos was suddenly between them wrapping an arm around both their shoulders and peeking purposefully under the table at their hands.

"Oh, good, it's a clean gesture. Just making sure there's no naughtiness happening on this side of the table!"

Train tried to bite the hand on his shoulder which caused Jenos to back up. He laughed as he poured the fang bearing cat a glass of wine. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Here, drink up! I'm sure Creed will thank me later."

This time Creed hit him by slapping him in the chest. However, he raised his glass for Jenos to fill and sipped the drink. "I don't think Train will be making that mistake again, will you, Love?"

Train slumped even lower into his chair and took a big gulp of wine. "I hate you both…"

They were just shy of the legal drinking age, but Eve's family was able to pull some strings and bypass that rule. Considering the big event and the fact that it was just a year, no one saw the big deal. Not to mention money talks.

Jenos pinched the cat's cheek who slapped his hand harshly. "No, you loooove us!"

Train growled as Jenos leaped away before he was assaulted again. Turning back to the table, the cat noticed one of Eve's sisters had been staring at them. Train took a bite of his steak and eyed her curiously.

"That's the twin you're walking with, right?"

Creed looked at his cat, then to the woman who was trying to make her stare less obvious. Her hair was a dark shade of green, darker than Sven's with brown roots showing she clearly dyed it. She was about five years older than Eve, putting her at about twenty-three which was three years older than Train and Creed. Her face was pale and her eyes were a light blue, which was the only physical feature she shared with Eve. Her twin looked nothing like her, showing that they were fraternal instead of identical.

The silver man avoided her gaze and delicately dabbed his lips with his napkin. "Yes. Her name is Echidna. She's **very** friendly."

Train looked at his partner from the corner of his eye, "What does that mean?"

Creed shrugged his shoulders and took a small bite of his chicken. "She's attracted to me."

The cat choked on his food and banged his fist on his chest. Creed moved to help his beloved, but was stopped by Train's hand as the cat swallowed heavily.

"Wh-what-How do you know that?!"

The silver man giggled at his love's reaction. "Because I'm not as oblivious to those kinds of signals as you are." He smiled at Train's scowl. "You're good at reading people's body movements and motives. But you're not good at reading **those** kinds of emotions."

Train looked at the woman again subtly, noticing she was glaring daggers at **him** now. He decided to glare back at her, even sticking his tongue out quickly now that he knew what her problem was.

Creed laughed again and wiped a bit of sauce from Train's cheek. The cat saw the green haired woman scowl again before she took a sip of wine, now trying to ignore the men.

"Don't worry, Love. I made it very clear I'm spoken for." For emphasis, he wrapped his arm around Train's elbow and leaned against him a little.

Train allowed his partner to lean on him, but still watched at the woman who was whispering something in her sister's ear. The other twin giggled and looked at Train, making him take a huge gulp of wine, emptying his glass.

Creed saw this and lowered Train's glass. "Slow down, Train. You can't be hung over for tomorrow."

The cat sighed and pushed his plate and glass away, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. Someone began tapping lightly against a glass, bringing everyone's eyes to Eve's father, who looked ready to give a speech.

Train watched him as he spoke, but didn't actually hear anything he had to say. He kept glancing at that Echidna woman, who kept looking at his partner with a smile the cat didn't like. He felt Creed nudge him slightly as he raised his glass in the air. Train grabbed his glass to do the same, not realizing it had been filled again. Most likely by a sneaky Jenos.

The golden man finished it in one gulp, then slammed it down on the table. He didn't notice as Creed removed the glass and replaced it with water, ushering Jenos away every time he stopped by for another refill. His cat kept glaring at Eve's sister, and Creed couldn't help but be a little happy about that.

_Now he knows how it feels!_

As the night went on Saya came over and was able to distract Train. Creed watched happily as the two joked with each other. He laughed when Saya challenged his cat to an arm wrestle, Train rolling up his sleeves and smashing his elbow on the table. Eventually the battle turned into a competition that included Jenos, Sven, Saya, and Train. Even a quite drunk Rinslet threw down with the rest of her friends.

At that point, the adults had started going to bed. Eve hugged her parents goodbye before she joined Creed in the spectator location. They laughed as Rinslet beat Jenos, the drunk woman standing proudly over his cripled hand. She then turned to Train, who was the last man standing. The cat cracked his knuckles and accepted the challenge with pleasure.

"So **childish** , don't you think?"

Creed looked next to him and saw Eve had been replaced by her sister. The woman had one arm crossed underneath her breasts, pushing them up slightly, Creed rolling his eyes at the obvious gesture. Her other hand elegantly held a glass of wine, her pinky pointed out as she scowled at his group of friends.

Echidna flipped her hair back and eyed Creed amorously, taking a small sip of her wine. "I don't know how you put up with their immaturity. You seem very civilized."

The silver man glowered down at her. "Maybe if you loosened up a bit, you could learn to have fun like them."

She smiled and held her glass to the side, adjusting her weight on her legs as she leaned a little closer to Creed. "Well… I **could** use a little help in the 'loosening' department."

Creed rolled his eyes and stepped away from her. "Woman, you really have no idea how futile your gestures are. I belong to another."

He watched as Train pinned Rinslet's arm to the table a third time, jumping and cheering wildly, as if he had just won the olympics. Saya was in his face in a minute, her girlfriend face palming behind her and next to Eve, who was smiling cheerfully at her friends. Apparently the raven haired girl wanted a rematch, which the cat accepted happily.

He heard Echidna scoff and take another quick sip. "Honestly, it's unsightly. Such a display of strength clearly has to be covering up for some… shortcoming."

This time Creed laughed boorishly at her. "Oh, trust me, I know first hand how **capable** Train is in **that** area."

He heard the woman sneer again, choosing to ignore her this time as she took another step closer. "Have you ever **tried** a woman's touch…?

Creed scowled at her and stepped away again. "There has been, nor will there ever be a need for that. I am **quite** satisfied. And as I said before, I am spoken for. My body, mind, and soul belong to another. And that bond can **never** be broken."

Echidna whined. "Oh… you won't even give it a shot?"

Train was currently on his final round with Saya when he looked up at Creed at the worst possible time. He watched as the woman touched his partner's wrist gently and became distracted. The cat felt his arm being pulled down and against the table, Train falling with it.

Saya jumped in the air gleefully. "Yes! I win, I win, I win! I beat a cop in a test of strength! Maybe I should become a cop..."

She looked down at her friend and noticed he wasn't paying attention to her victory. Saya followed his gaze and saw Eve's sister flirting with Creed, much to the silver man's displeasure. She growled and pointed at Creed.

"Oy! Train's boyfriend! I challenge you next!"

Everyone looked at Saya with hidden shock at her ease with using that label on them. What Creed and Train had was kind of an understanding among them, but not something anyone had ever said out loud. Train felt himself blush and freeze, not really sure how to react to the label.

_Well, is she wrong?_

He asked himself that question as he mulled the word around in his head. The cat absolutely had feelings beyond friendship for Creed. They didn't act like they were just friends and they certainly did things together that friends definitely did not do. Still, calling Creed his boyfriend had never occurred to him. It wasn't something he had really even thought about.

Train looked at Creed who was obviously elated at hearing Saya say that word. Creed made eye contact with him, and smiled expectantly, trying to tell his cat through his eyes how much it would mean to him for Train to acknowledge this label. It would just be further confirmation that Train was his. The golden man's acceptance of such a simple word would mean more to him than Train thought he could ever understand.

_Or, as Creed would put it, another life long dream coming true..._

Train felt his heart flutter at his partner's reaction, finding himself entranced with Creed's innocent, adoring eyes. The cat found himself smiling back, and if the beating in his chest meant anything, it meant the label was accurate and Creed needed to hear that.

He stood and approached Creed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from an offended Echidna. Creed's eyes turned brighter than the sun as he held Train's hand tightly, hope dancing with happiness in his blue orbs as he followed Train readily.

"Oh, just you wait, Saya. My boyfriend will avenge me!"

Creed nearly passed out when Train used the word of his own accord. As Train sat him down across from Saya, he lipped the words 'thank you' to her, knowing full well the girl used the term to help him and Train along. She knew that's what they were, but Train was stubborn and oblivious, so it didn't occur to him that saying it meant so much to Creed. He needed help finding his feelings.

_This also gets me away from that woman. Good, because I was about to slap her._

Echidna was left standing there alone, huffing angrily as she finished her drink, slammed it on the table and walked away, her sister following soon after. Creed watched them go with a smile, then placed his elbow on the table.

"Let's do this, Saya."

As Creed and Saya continued the competition, Train eyed the two women leaving uneasily. "Your sisters are… Different, Eve."

Eve turned her attention away from the wrestling duo, the rest of the group moving on from the men's relationship announcement to the ongoing war. "Oh, they're not **actually** my sisters."

Seeing his confused look, the bride-to-be elaborated. "They're really my cousins. I call them my sisters because we grew up in the same house. When I was young, I genuinely thought they were my sisters. Their mom is a famous opera singer and their dad is a COO of a major company, so they were never around. My parents basically raised them, so I always called them my sisters."

Train nodded, understanding a bit better. "That makes sense why they don't really look like you."

Eve shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest, I don't really care for either of them. My aunt guilted my mom, who then guilted me into putting them in the bridal party. I figured I'd just give them what they wanted instead of starting an unnecessary fight."

The cat had taken Creed's glass of wine from him before he sat him down and found himself drinking it absentmindedly. "Why don't you like them?"

The blonde girl sighed. "They're **so** entitled! Because they're parents are so rich, even more so than my parents, they get **everything** they ask for without question. It was **unbearable** being with them during holidays and birthdays. If they didn't get what they wanted, they would throw a fit."

She growled and took a sip of her own drink. "I remember one time they both asked for a Lamborghini for their sixteenth birthday, and when my parents refused, Echidna called my mom a greedy bitch and complained to her mom. Then, of course, my aunt took her daughters' side and yelled at my mother for an hour and a half. The next day, someone had dropped off the exact car they wanted for both of them."

Train gawked at the girl. "That's unbelievable! And your mom let them keep it?"

"Pfft, like she could do anything about it. Here's the worst part: About a month later, Echidna totalled hers because she was texting and driving. Next thing we knew, her mom had sent another one as if nothing had ever happened."

The cat was speechless at that. Train didn't even have his driver's license because he knew he could never afford a car. He relied completely on public transportation. The idea of being able to have not one, but two expensive cars before you even turned twenty was a foreign concept to him.

"I can see why you hate them so much…"

Eve nodded and took an angry sip of wine. "As long as they don't mess anything up tomorrow, I don't care. I also don't like how Echidna's been looking at Creed. Last time she liked a guy who had no interest, she ended up throwing a rock through his window and fighting his girlfriend at the time."

Train looked at Creed who had just lost against Saya twice, said girl jumping in the air happily while his partner sulked. He smiled and took another sip of Creed's wine. "I can take her…"

Eve turned to him. "Train. Don't. I mean it. Just keep away from her and I'll keep her away from Creed. I'll change the walking order for tomorrow, don't worry."

The cat shrugged his shoulders and put the wine down. He was beginning to feel a little more than tipsy and decided it was time to stop. "Hey, I won't do anything, but if she comes for me I will defend myself. I'm not scared of a cat fight."

He laughed when Eve rolled her eyes at the terrible joke. Train elbowed her and approached the group, handing Creed his wine back. He took it cheerfully, but frowned when he noticed it was almost empty.

"You said you'd slow down!"

Train messed with his hair. "I am. That's why I'm giving it back to you."

"Let's go hang out at the bar! They're starting to clean up here anyway." Sven said this to the group as staff began to enter the room. Without a word they agreed and made their way to the other room to hang out a little more before they went to bed.

The bar was pretty full, but because it was so big they didn't have a hard time finding a corner to sit in. Sven and Eve sat in a love seat with each other, the broom-to-be wrapping his arm around his bride. Saya and her girlfriend sat on one end of a long couch, mimicking Sven and Eve's position. Train fell heavily at the other end of the same couch, one leg up and stretched out while the other stayed on the floor. He put his arm on the back of the couch and invited Creed to set in front of him. The silver man followed directions and cuddled against his cat's chest gladly, nuzzling his head as close as he could to his beloved.

He looked up at Train who smiled, leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Wanting more, Creed pulled him closer and made the kiss linger so it was more than a peck, but not full on make out, causing Jenos to groan.

"Ugh, if you're gonna do that then go back to your room." Rinslet was leaning against him pretty heavily, laughing louder than she should have at his joke. He looked at her and smiled. "Oh, man, if she's laughing at my jokes she's definitely done. I better get her back upstairs. Goodnight, guys! See you tomorrow!"

They waved as Jenos and Rinslet left, the rest of them staying to talk. It had been so long since they'd seen Saya and they wanted to catch up. They laughed and reminisced about old times and Saya told them about her new life in her new country. She was happy, but missed them terribly.

Before they knew it, two hours had passed, making it far later than they expected to be up. Saya and Lucia were especially tired, seeing as they were still jet-lagged from their flight. Lucia had fallen asleep on her girlfriend, which prompted Saya to lift her on her back to bring her upstairs.

"Well, guess we'd better hit the hay. Good night!" She adjusted the girl on her back and noticed Creed had fallen asleep against Train. The cat's arm was wrapped around his waist while his other hand tickled the silver man's arm gently. She smiled at her friend, then waved at the rest of the group.

Sven stood to leave as well with Eve in his arms, bridal style. The cat laughed at their position.

"Oddly fitting, no?" The golden man said with a cheeky smile.

Sven rolled his eyes at Train and said goodnight as well, leaving with his sleeping beauty in his arms. Train looked at Creed who was sleeping peacefully against him. He smiled when his partner moved a little, mumbling sweet nothing's about Train. The cat laughed and kissed the top of his head lightly, letting him have a few more minutes before he woke him to go upstairs.

"Well… What a cute scene."

Train looked up and saw Echidna standing there, a new glass of wine in her hand. Apparently, she had not gone to bed when they thought she did. The cat sighed as she flipped her hair out of her face.

"You stalking us? And what's that you're tenth glass? How are you still standing?" Train was still tipsy from the drinks he had earlier. It blew his mind such a small woman could drink so much and be completely fine.

She smiled coldly as she took another sip. "Guess I'm not weak like you…" Her eyes fell from him to a sleeping Creed, her smile turning more endearing. She kneeled on the ground to get a better look at him, making Train pull the sleeping man closer to his chest.

Echidna didn't seem to mind this as she still reached out and touched his hair, fascinated by the locks. "Such a beautiful color…"

Train slapped her hand away and gave her a fiery look. "What the hell is your problem?! Even if he didn't make his status **very** clear to you, our current position should. Besides that, what person touches someone they just met while they're sleeping?"

She sneered at Train. "He may not know me **yet** , but trust me, he will. And once he's had a **woman's** touch… You'll be lucky if he'll even shine your shoe."

With that she left, leaving a very confused and angry cat behind as she disappeared into the emptying bar. Train waited until he could no longer see her, then looked down at Creed who had slept quietly through the whole ordeal. The cat frowned and touched the spot in his boyfriend's hair that the woman had just messed with, as if he was getting rid of a piece of dirt. Creed purred at Train's hand and mumbled a few more endearing words about him.

Train smiled and shook the man in his lap. "Creed, wake up. We should go to bed."

Creed moaned and rolled so his face was against Train's shoulder, clinging to him and shaking his head. The cat lifted him gently. "I'm sorry, but it's getting late and we have a busy day ahead of us."

His partner still refused, making Train sigh. "Fine, guess I'm carrying you."

With ease, Train hoisted Creed in his arms, one arm under his knees and the other supporting his back. His roommate mewed happily as he rolled into Train's chest, snuggling closely to his love.

"Train… Say it again…"

As he walked he glanced down at the man curiously. "Say what?"

"The word… Say the word again. What I am to you…"

Train laughed and squeezed Creed a little tighter. "You mean, boyfriend?"

Creed nodded rapidly and wrapped his arms around Train's back. This made the cat laugh again as he walked up the stairs. "I know that's probably the label I should have been using for at least a year now, and I'm sorry it took me this long to say it…"

He felt Creed shake his head against Train's chest. "Don't apologize. Just keep using it."

Train made it to their room and leaned Creed to one arm as he pulled out his key and opened the door with the other. He walked to the bedroom and laid his partner down on the mattress. "I'll be using it from now on, don't worry."

The cat removed Creed's shoes and shirt, throwing them to the side, not caring where they landed. When he went to take the man's pants off, Creed sat up suddenly and began to remove Train's. The golden man stopped suddenly and looked at his boyfriend's hands.

"Whoa, where's this energy suddenly coming from?"

Creed pulled him closer and kissed him passionately as he pulled his pants and boxers down. His hands were immediately between Train's thighs as he cupped and fondled the sensitive objects there. The cat gasped loudly and felt his body react instantly. He leaned over Creed and kissed him back furiously, having just finished removing his partner's pants as well.

Train pushed him back on the bed, never moving his lips away as Creed crawled backwards to the headboard. He kept groping at Train's member wildly, twirling his tongue around his beloved's venomously.

The cat pulled back and moaned. "Creed…"

His moan excited Creed more and Train could feel the tip of his boyfriend's phallus poking earnestly against his stomach. When Creed pressed his thumb at his tip, he gasped loudly and pinned the man on the bed. He locked lips with his partner again, holding his shoulders still.

Train pulled away one more time when he felt Creed's hands move against his shaft. "Creed, wait."

The cat pulled himself out of Creed's hand, making the man whimper sadly as he groped the air for more. Train laughed and wrapped his hand around his roommate's member, smiling deviously when Creed cried out.

"I think I owe my boyfriend at least this much…"

Creed gasped loudly when Train grabbed him, nodding viciously as his cat proceeded to move up and down. He felt his breath pick up and Train kissed his neck, but something occurred to him as he pushed away slightly.

"Hold on…" Creed ignored his beloved's confused stare and rolled over to the nightstand. He pulled out a small, clear bottle and emptied a liquid into Train's hands. The cat still looked confused, so Creed rubbed his love's hands together for him.

"We don't have the help of water this time. Just trust me."

Train nodded and decided not to question why Creed had this bottle. It was obvious he wanted to be prepared whenever Train was ready to take the next step. The golden man pushed him back against the bed again, Creed licking his lips at his cat before they fastened their mouths together again. Train swirled his tongue around his partner's mouth, feeling the man moan loudly against him.

The golden man moved his now lubricated hand down Creed's chest and stomach to his thighs. Creed jolted at the touch and convulsed wildly, feeling himself already about to burst into his cat's hand. Train laughed and pulled away again.

"Could you last a little longer so I can do my job?"

Creed took a deep breath and nodded, spreading his legs to give his cat more access. Train rubbed his inner thighs for a few seconds before placing his hand back on the silver man's shaft. Another loud gasp from Creed motivated him to move back and forth, his roommate grinding his hips insync with Train's hand. Their lips fell against each other again, continuing the dance they started moments ago.

The cat tried to copy the motions Creed had done on him earlier in the day. Since he had never done this even to himself before, Train wanted to make sure he did something he knew worked. Be pressed his thumb against the tip of Creed's member, circling it delicately, then a little harder. Creed continued moaning and gasping against his lips, showing him he was doing it right.

Train moved his hand so it was at the base of his shaft and pushed back and forth slowly, using a little pressure at first. He began to move it faster and faster, hearing Creed shouting into his mouth eagerly, crying his name against his lips. Train pulled his mouth away and placed it instead on his neck. He kissed, sucked, and bit the smooth skin there, Creed running his nails urgently against his back.

"Oh, Train…" He cried, not sure how much long he could hold it in before he exploded. Train bit his ear hard, which made him yelp as his back jolted up quickly. "Oh God, Train! Faster!"

His cat responded correctly as he moved faster and faster, feeling himself getting harder as well. Creed's member pulsed roughly against his greasy hand and Train could feel he was ready to pop. Just as Train was about to work on himself as well, he felt Creed grab his phallus, moving back and forth as much as he could from his position.

It was enough as Train moaned loudly into his ear, then bit down again as Creed cried out his name again. The heat building in them grew and grew until they couldn't take anymore. They shouted out in unison, their cries echoing across the room loudly as they burst onto each other's hands.

Train collapsed on his partner, panting violently as Creed's heart raced against him. Creed wrapped his arms around his cat's back and kissed him repeatedly around his face, neck, and shoulders. He took a deep breath and pressed his lips against Train's ear.

"Good job…" He said and kissed his ear. "Really… That was **incredible**..."

The cat smiled to himself, thinking of that woman's words from earlier. He rolled over slightly so he was laying next to Creed, his arm remaining on his partner's chest as his face rested lightly against his chest.

"Take that…" He said, his eyes growing heavy as he fell into a peaceful slumber.


	19. A Promise

I would suggest listening to the songs I listed in this song to get a better feel at their meaning.

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

** A Promise **

Train was the first to wake up, groaning mournfully as he blocked the sun with his hand. While the behemoth of a window provided a wonderful view, its curtains did nothing to block out the light. Using one hand to block the light, he reached over and grabbed a pillow with his other hand, dropping it on his face harshly, angry at the offending light. He stayed like that for a few more minutes, before finally deciding he should get up before Creed, knowing he'd find some way to get distracted.

_The sooner I get up, the sooner I'll get distracted. And the sooner I get distracted, the sooner I can get ready._

That logic made sense to him so he nodded and made to move off the bed. As he moved the hand that rested on top of his roommate's chest, he could feel his fingers stick together a little. Train sighed when he felt the same stickiness on his stomach as well. The golden man grimaced and removed the pillow from his face as he turned to his sleeping bedmate.

Creed had a huge smile on his face, talking in his sleep like he always did. Lately, Train made a game of it. He would try to figure out what Creed was dreaming about, then ask his partner when he woke up to see if he was right. They always involved Train, so after that he simply had to fill in the blanks. He leaned a little closer so he could hear the silver man's whispers, quietly so he wouldn't wake Creed.

"Yes… Yes, Train. I would love that…." Creed's smile widened and he purred a little. "Oh, Train… That feels good."

Train rolled his eyes and chuckled silently. This dream was pretty easy to figure out.

"Hmmm, Train… I love you **so** much." The silver man purred again. You're so beautiful…."

The golden man blushed at those words, feeling both happy and embarrassed.

_Does he ever think about anything else?_

He reached out and ran his clean fingers through Creed's silver hair, using his index and middle finger to outline his face tenderly. His partner pressed into the motion and sighed contentedly. As Creed whispered more loving words about Train, the cat laughed quietly and caressed his cheek lightly with his thumb.

_How does he always seem to know when I touch him? It's like his body just has a "Train Alert" set on automatic._

Train leaned forward and kissed him gingerly on the cheek. He tried to roll off the bed, but was halted by a hand holding on to his arm. The cat stopped and looked over at his boyfriend, who's eyes were still closed, but was clearly awake.

"No… Not yet…" He dragged Train back on to the bed and against his chest. Creed pressed Train's head on his shoulder and wrapped his legs around his cat's The silver man held on tightly, snuggling his head deep into his beloved's shoulder.

Train sighed and returned the embrace, but didn't get settled in too much.

"Okay, but not for too long. I need to get up so I can get my inevitable tomfoolery out of the way so we can leave on time. Today's the big day for Sven and our Lil' Princess!"

Creed laughed and held Train against him firmly, taking a deep breath so he could surround himself with his love. He kissed his cat's neck lightly, followed by his shoulder, then his cheek. Once he finished he nestled into Train's head, smiling at the feel of his soft hair against his skin.

Train was doing a good job of not getting too comfortable. He didn't react to Creed's kisses and made sure his hold was loose. They really couldn't afford to get wrapped up in each other, otherwise they would be late. And after being late for the rehearsal yesterday, they had to make sure they were on time today.

The cat felt Creed beginning to tickle his back lightly, which made it even harder not to cave in to the cuddles. He then felt his partner kiss the top of his head repeatedly, humming charmingly as he ran his other hand through his hair.

This made it impossible for Train not to relax and he felt his body fall into his boyfriend, sighing as he rested his head against Creed's shoulders. He purred when the silver man caressed his lower back, smiling warmly against his roommate.

Just as he was getting settled in, Train felt Creed take gentle hold of his chin and guide his face upwards. The cat now found himself looking into his partner's worshipping eyes.

Creed always looked at him that way, and Train never knew what to do with the emotions being thrown at him. There was so much love in the silver man's eyes that the cat felt like he was going to drown. The intensity of his fealty was boundless, and Train thought if he stared too long, he would disappear into the blue pools and never come out. This feeling used to scare him to no end. Just two years ago, he wanted to run away from the look, feeling like he would get lost if he stayed in Creed's sight.

Now, he understood better what that look was and how to handle it. Each day, Train was beginning to understand it more and more. However, there was still this unexplainable fear in his heart. He felt it every time Creed looked at him. When his partner gave him this longing, pleading, loving, hopelessly devoted look, Train's heart would begin to swell, then drop suddenly. And when that happened, he wanted to avoid Creed' gaze, unable to breathe under his overwhelming piety. It was almost a survival instinct to look away.

This happened again now and Train felt himself beginning to turn over, but Creed wouldn't let him. When the silver man saw his cat beginning to move he held his chin a little tighter, forcing his beloved to keep looking him in the eyes.

"Look at me, Train…"

He did, but squirmed a little at the loving heat coming from his partner. Train could feel his eyes beginning to tear up, hurt merging in his chest, knowing he was unable to match the profound look in Creed's eyes and growing wracked with guilt. This was a battle he always lost and the remorse he was starting to feel was beginning to be too much. He hated hurting Creed like this, and he knew every time their eyes met he did. Behind the tenderness, respect, and infatuation, Train always saw the pain. And it hurt.

Creed noticed his love's eyes beginning to glisten with tears and smiled warmly.

"Train… it's okay." Creed caressed his face with the back of his hand, allowing his fingers to linger.

"I… I can't, Creed." He breathed deeply to calm himself down. "I can't match your intensity. I'm trying, but I can't reach that level." He shook out a restrained sob, and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry…"

The silver man wiped a tear and moved Train's face closer. He pressed his lips against Train's gently, giving his cat the room to respond or pull away. His beloved responded ardently and pressed into him. Train wrapped his arms around Creed's back and pulled him closer, deepening their kiss and helping him forget about his tears.

Creed used one hand to push the back of Train's head so their lips were closer together, his other still rubbing his back tenderly. The silver man's legs were still wrapped around Train's legs and Creed could feel his cat locking their ankles so their bodies pressed harder together.

Train was trying to lose his guilty feelings in the kiss. He wanted to apologize to Creed through their physical connection, knowing words were not enough to portray his feelings. The cat wrapped his arms tighter around Creed, using his body to show the man how much he meant to him, even if it wasn't as much as Creed wanted. The cat twirled and swirled his tongue earnestly around his partner's, hoping that he interpreted his motions correctly, so he could feel how sorry Train was for causing him pain.

They stayed like that for a while before Creed finally pulled away. He moved his cat's head back against his shoulders, resuming the position they had earlier.

"I'm so sorry, Creed… I wish I could give you more…" Train said, again making sure not to look his roommate in the eye.

"I told you to stop apologizing, Train." Creed ran his index finger up and down his love's spine, enjoying the relaxing shutters Train gave him. "How many times do I have to tell you I'll wait forever if that's what it takes. As long as you will have me, I'll be here."

Train sighed into the silver man. "I don't **want** to go anywhere. I used to feel like running every time you looked at me, but now I feel happy, then almost immediately guilty."

The cat was silent for a second, waiting to see if Creed would respond to that. Feeling his boyfriend's hand still moving against his back, Train saw Creed was allowing him to continue.

"There's this… fear that I can't explain. There's just a part of me that's so scared and I don't know why. I don't know what to do about it and I don't know how to fix it."

Creed kissed the top of his head lovingly. "You don't have to be scared. I will **never** hurt you."

"I know that you don't **want** to, but…" He stopped suddenly as his mind settled on an idea. He clung Creed closer, feeling panicked suddenly. " **They** didn't want to either… But they did…"

Creed felt his cat cling to him tighter and his heart beat frightfully against his chest. It was as if his beloved was being crushed under a stampede of terror, remembering the worst day of his life. Realization suddenly fell on Creed's oblivious head.

_Of course he's scared. The last people he loved so dearly and loved him back just as strongly are dead. Then when he was just getting the pieces together, the next person he cared about the most, Saya, moved. No wonder he thinks I'll just disappear if he decides to love me._

The silver man could have hit himself over his stupidity. It was so obvious why Train was so detached from this powerful emotion.

_He created a barrier to protect himself, then I came along with a hammer and tried to break through, of course he's going to panic and make the barrier stronger. Of course he's going to be scared, because in his mind, if he loves me, I'll go away…_

He felt angry with himself especially since Saya had pretty much told him all this. She had been trying to explain it to him over and over again for so long, but Creed simply wouldn't listen. He kept using the girl as his personal therapist and moaned about how Train still didn't love him.

_And she is such a good friend that she let me bitch all day about my broken heart while trying to politely explain to me Train's point of view. God, I'm so selfish!_

Creed felt his gut wrench when Train began crying into his chest. His love had fallen back into his dark hole again and couldn't contain his emotions. While he clung to the silver man tightly, Creed knew that although his physical body was here, his mind was elsewhere. Replaying a moment in his head that he should have never experienced in the first place.

He held Train closer, running his fingers along his hair and back, allowing his love to release the pain in his heart onto his chest.

"Train…" Creed used the most loving, calming voice he could, but his beloved was already too gone to hear him.

Creed pulled his cat's head so their eyes met again. Train's eyes were red with tears, face paling as he fell deeper into his recurring depression. The silver man pressed his lips against his love's again, hoping that could bring him back to the present.

Train's body shook with a few more sobs as Creed kissed him gently. Slowly, he felt himself relax. Creed continued kissing him over and over again affectionately, sympathetically, lovingly. Each time their lips met the silver man gave him another level of love, wanting Train to know the depths of his feelings, needing to pull his cat out of that hole before the golden man piled the dirt on top.

After a few minutes he felt Train calm down and return the gesture. His arms held his roommate firmly, ankles still locked as he pressed his chest, hips, lips, and legs closer together. He let out one more sob before pulling back and resting his head on Creed's shoulder.

Creed's caresses never stopped as he allowed his cat to catch his breath. Once he knew his love was back, he spoke.

"Train… I'm not going anywhere. As long as you walk this Earth, I will **never** leave it. I can't imagine life without you, so even if I was hit by a truck tomorrow, I would crawl out from under it and find you."

His cat clung to him again and Creed chuckled a little. "Okay, maybe that was a bad analogy, but you know what I mean. As long as **you** are here and will have me, I'm not going anywhere."

Train was silent for a minute, taking his words in then spoke in a quiet voice. "How about this: **I** won't leave you, if **you** won't leave me. Deal?"

Creed pulled Train's face towards him one more time, smiling warmly and rubbing his cheek. "Deal."

He kissed his beloved again, sinking in Train's lips as they held each other close. Both of their clothes were still on the floor from the previous night's events, making their embrace that much more intimate which made it harder to break it. They allowed themselves this moment for a little longer, knowing full well they needed to get up, but not ready to yet. When they finally did separate, Train smiled at his partner.

"Guess I got my distraction out of the way…"

Creed gave him a confused look, but his cat was out of the bed before he could question what he meant. Train kissed him one more time, then threw a pillow at him.

"Come on, we need to get going."

* * *

Sven watched the couple as they walked in, checking the clock on the wall to see if he should be mad. He smiled and nodded.

"Right on time. Good job, you two." He patted Train and Creed on the back, the two of them holding their tuxedos in their hands.

Train smiled and punched his green friend. "Of course we are! When are we ever late!"

Sven glared at the golden man, knowing full way he was trying to set him off already. He took a deep breath and walked away from Train, waving his finger in the air as he did so.

"Not today, cat. I am **too** happy today to let you get to me!"

Train smiled and hung his tux up in the nearby closet as he stepped into the room, Creed following after him and doing the same. The closet was large enough to fit a bed, which Train noted with shock as he looked around the room and gawked.

"Holy crap, this room is bigger than ours! Is this the suite?!"

Sven waved his words away. "Nah, this is just the deluxe. Eve has the suite. She's getting ready in there with her bridesmaids. We'll be staying in there tonight together."

Creed scanned the room, giggling at his cat as he gapped adoringly. The silver man frowned and addressed Sven. "Where is everyone?"

He just realized they were the first ones to arrive. This was surprising since he thought at least Llyod would be there.

Sven looked in a mirror, messing with his hair a little as if it was out of place. "Llyod is letting the barber in and Jenos texted and said he's helping a very in denial and hungover Rinslet get to Eve's room."

Train stopped his gawking and blinked at the groom-to-be. "Barber? Why is a barber coming?"

Sven walked away from the mirror and began digging in a suitcase. "To deal with that mess you call hair on top of your head."

The cat felt his face pale as he clutched his hair protectively. "Oh, **hell** no! You are **not** letting Sweeney Tod anywhere near my precious fur!"

The green man laughed as he pulled out his suit, resting in on a nearby chair. "That might be a discussion for Lylod. He's been in a silent war with Eve's family on who has more money, so he found one last night and is paying for it. If you don't want your haircut, talk to him."

Train walked in the room, cautiously avoiding Sven as if he was going to pull out scissors and attack him. "Oh, words will be had, trust me…"

When he made his way past the man, he sat at the very end of one of the couches, still holding his hair tightly. Creed followed his love and ran his fingers idly through his own hair. "Actually, I could use a trim. It's getting a bit long. It's been a while since I've had a cut."

He was too busy with school to really pay attention to his hair, and it was starting to get out of control. Usually, Creed cut his hair himself as he didn't always have the money to pay someone, but if they were going to be getting the service for free, who was he to turn it down?

The silver man smiled and sat next to Train, pecking him lightly on the cheek. "Don't worry, Love, I won't let them touch your hair. Unlike **some** people, I like your mop top." He twirled his fingers around the ends of Train's hair, smiling happily as his beloved blushed.

"Alright, you two, you had the last few nights to get it out of your system. Let's keep our hands to ourselves!" Jenos spoke loudly as he entered the room, fist bumping Sven as he passed him and put his tux on the chair next to the groom's.

Train threw a coaster that was sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "Shut up, Jenos!"

Jenos shouted when it smacked him in the cheek and glared at the cat. "Hey, I'm just saying you've had your time! I'm sure Creed has been having a **blast** in that room with his precious cat... "

Train, still blushing brightly, threw another coaster. Creed, on the other hand, looked very proud of himself, knowing that Jenos was correct in his accusations. Jenos ducked from the offending object thrown by the cat and crawled over to the couch where Train and Creed sat. He saw the satisfied look of the silver man and laughed.

"See! Creed knows what I'm talking about!"

He stood and slapped Creed on the back, who blushed a little, but still looked very pleased with himself. Creed looked at Jenos from the corner of his eye and smiled illustriously, crossing his legs and putting his arms on the back of the couch so one of them was behind Train.

Creed caressed Train's shoulder lightly. "Let's just say… There's a lot of room for **activities**..."

"That's it, I'm outta here!" Train said as he stood from the couch and walked away from the laughing men. He tried to stop his face from turning bright red because he knew that only amused them more. He found that the simple gesture was impossible, considering the embarrassment was too great to hide.

Jenos sat next to Creed heavily and elbowed him expressingly. "I hear ya! Rinslet and I have been making **very** good use of our room."

Sven sighed densely and leaned against the dress he stood in front of. "Do you ever think about anything else? No wonder Rinslet abuses you so much!"

Jenos smiled smugly at him. "Oh… She's abusive all right…"

Sven tried to ignore that comment as he began to take out his suit of its bag to inspect it, Train walking to the closet, blush still present so he could retrieve his as well.

Creed smiled at his love's back, still wanting to press his boyfriend's buttons a little more. "Well, at least we weren't late today like we were yesterday. I'm starting to learn what gets him moving faster…"

Train turned and pointed at Creed. "That didn't happen again this morning!"

"Are you admitting that it **did** happen?" Jenos said as he smirked.

Train blushed again and slammed his head into his hands. "Not **that**!"

"But, something **else** took place?" Jenos refused to let it go, enjoying the cat's discomfort too much.

"I'm just happy the rooms are so far apart. That way I know we won't disturb anyone." Creed answered Jenos for Train, matching the man's mischievous smirk.

Sven launched an attack at Creed as he threw his now empty suite bag at the silver man. Jenos cackled loudly, then screamed when he saw the bag coming, rolling off the couch as it crashed into the side of Creed. The silver man didn't budge, instead he removed the bag from his body, and placed it next to himself.

Train's face couldn't get any brighter and he knew he couldn't hide it. Instead, he decided to step into the large closet that held his suit, closing the door behind him.

"I'm just gonna hide in here until the ceremony, kay?"

Creed chuckled and stood from the bed, walking to the closet briskly. "Oh, I'll join you!"

"No!" Train shouted from behind the door.

Creed smirked. "Come on, I can help you change." He tried to open the door. It didn't move since Train was holding it shut on the other side.

"I can get dressed by myself!"

The silver man laughed. "But it'll be more **fun** if I help!"

He laughed at Train's sputter. "Go away!"

Jenos was still cackling wildly on the couch and even Sven couldn't help but release a chuckle at the cat's expense. It was nice to see that even though their relationship had upgraded, their dynamic within the group had not changed.

A gentle knock at the door brought the attention away from a closeted cat and to front of the room. Creed, being the closest to it, stepped away from his beloved and towards the door.

"I'll get it!" He shouted to the room, not turning around.

He was still smiling when he opened the door, then frowned deeply at who he saw.

"Well, **hello** …" Echidna purred as she eyed Creed up and down. "I was hoping you'd be the one to answer…"

Creed crossed his arms and glared down at the woman. "What do you want, Echidna?"

"Can't a girl stop by to say hi?" She pouted, but her eyes remained thirsty.

The green haired woman reached out to touch his shoulder, making Creed rip his arm away and step back. "Not when that 'hi' has hidden intentions."

She giggled a bit too loudly for Creed's liking. "I don't think there's anything **hidden** about my intentions."

When she stepped forward, Creed stepped back. This tango continued until the woman was fully in the room, clearly happy with herself. When she smiled at the silver haired man, he scoffed and walked away.

"Sven, I think this **woman** is here for you."

Creed's announcement alerted everyone else in the room to who had entered. Jenos had no reaction and flipped through his phone, obviously in no rush to get ready. Sven was in the middle of changing, so he was standing pantless in front of a mirror. When Echidna stepped in he yelped and hid behind a chair.

"A little more warning next time, Creed?! I thought it was Llyod!"

Echidna looked at him in disgust and brushed his words away with her hand. "Ugh, don't worry, I have no interest in that. My sister can do with you whatever she pleases."

She glanced back at Creed who started moving back over to the closet where his cat was still locked away.

"My tastes are far more… refined." She flipped her hair again and smiled as Creed glowered at her from across the room. "Besides, I prefer silver to green."

"Then you might wanna start dying your hair a different color." Jenos responded, eyes still on the phone as he longued on the long couch.

The green haired woman glared at him, then watched as Creed snuck into the closet, closing the door tightly behind him.

Echidna rolled her eyes and turned back to Sven. "I come with a message from your bride. I don't know exactly what that message is, but she asked me to give you this."

She handed him a piece of paper and walked away quickly, heading for the closet her current obsession walked into. Just before her hand reached the knob, Jenos stopped her with a warning.

"I wouldn't open that if I were you. You might not like what you see." Again, his eyes never left his phone, showing he really didn't care what the woman decided to do.

She sneered at him and opened the door anyway. Echidna gasped loudly and shut the door quickly, blushing wildly as she stomped towards the door angrily. Jenos laughed from across the room, finally putting his phone down to look at her.

"Told ya!"

As the door to their room shut loudly, Creed peaked his head out of the closet and smiled. He knew the woman would come and check on him after she had completed her mission, so he timed it perfectly. However, he wasn't quite satisfied with how little time he had with his cat, so he shut the door again, ignoring Sven and Jenos' objections.

Creed turned back to his cat happily, who was blushing brightly. "Wh-what the hell is happening out there?"

He laughed and brushed his love's words away.

_Ironic how Train came here to hide from me and I came here to hide from her._

"Nothing for you to concern your pretty little head about, my cat."

The silver man was back on Train in an instance, not giving his love a chance to object. When Creed had stepped in the closet to escape Echidna, Train was in the middle of getting changed, so he walked in on the dazzling sight of his shirtless partner. Even though he was just laying naked in bed with him, he couldn't control himself whenever he saw any bit of skin from his beloved. The poor cat didn't expect to be interrupted so rudely when Creed threw himself at the other man.

Which was precisely what was happening now. The silver man pushed his cat against the wall again, kissing his neck as if there weren't people in the other room. Train used his hand to cover his mouth at the aggressive contact, making sure he didn't gasp loudly and confirm to their friends what Creed was doing to him.

Train used his other arm to push Creed away, giving him an ominous look. "Creed… Don't…"

Creed grabbed his cat's hand and kissed it tenderly, trailing his lips up Train's arm and to his shoulder, then neck, then ear. The cat covered his mouth again while his other arm reached across Creed's back and to his opposite shoulder. With one swift movement, he spun his roommate around so his back was against Train's chest. Train locked his arms around a breathless Creed, who felt like he had just been swept off his feet.

The silver man shivered when Train leaned over and spoke in his ear, his knees buckling a little as his cat's breath swam down his neck.

"Need I remind you who's the bigger one here?"

Train's voice was a husky whisper which only made Creed swoon and lean back into his cat. He nodded rapidly, as if agreeing with his golden love would get him what he wanted. The silver man whined when Train let him go and pushed him gently towards the door.

"Now get out before our friends get suspicious."

He pouted at his beloved again. "Why can't I just get changed in here with you?"

Train chuckled at his partner as he slipped his pants on. "Because one: I'll continue to be too much of a distraction for you and two: I don't want to make Jenos and Sven uncomfortable."

The cat rolled his eyes as Creed continued sulking at him. Train turned him around again and pushed him to the door, opening it quickly and shoving him out, not giving the silver man a chance to protest.

Creed sighed and opened the door quick enough to grab his tux that was hanging very close to the entrance. He shut it again before his cat could yell at him and made his way to the living area, ignoring Jenos and Sven's chuckles at him.

He placed his suit down, waiting to change until after the barber had a go at his head. "What did she want?"

Sven sat in a chair in front of the large dresser, texting someone on his phone. His dress pants were on, but he was still wearing a t-shirt. Jenos was laying on the couch, still in his pajamas, both men most likely waiting until they got their hair cut as well before they changed.

The groom responded to Creed, but didn't look at him. "Oh, Eve changed the walking order. You'll be walking with Rinslet now and Echidna will be walking with Jenos."

"What?! That's not fair!" Jenos said sitting up suddenly. "That woman is **the worst!** Why am I stuck with her?"

"Because she won't assault you while you walk down the aisle." Sven, answered, still not looking away from his phone.

Jenos pouted and fell back on the couch. "You don't know that…"

Creed smiled and pulled out his phone to text Eve thank you. When he was done, he glanced at Sven curiously. "Why is this sudden change not giving you an anxiety attack?"

Sven smiled and looked at his silver friend. "Because in a few hours I will be marrying the most amazing woman in the world. Nothing else matters but that."

Creed smiled back at him and couldn't help but think Eve had put something else in her note to calm her soon-to-be husband down. He sat in a chair and crossed his legs, pulling out a book he had packed in his suit bag in case he had extra time.

"Why did they send Echidna anyway? Seems like **anyone** else would have been a better choice." Jenos closed his eyes as he laid on the couch. "I know Rins is probably still walking off the alcohol from last night, but why not Saya or the other twin?"

Sven locked his phone and put it in his pocket. "Saya was running late, only just got there and the other twin pretended not to hear Eve's request so Echidna had a chance to grab the note and run. She told me they tried to stop her, but she doesn't listen to anyone."

Creed, wanting to change the subject, spoke up as he turned a page in his book. "When's the barber getting here?"

Knock at the door answered his question. Sven pointed up and smiled. "That's probably Llyod with him right now!"

Sven walked to the door quickly and threw it open. He shouted cheerfully and hugged his brother tightly. The men walked into the room with another very tall, very thin man sporting a long beard and short hair. He dragged a suitcase with him, ignoring everyone in the room as Llyod instructed him where to set up.

The man didn't seem to care about anyone else in the room as he pulled out his materials. His face was very serious as he plugged a few things in, but when he glanced at Creed through the mirror, he gasped loudly and completely changed his demeanor.

"OH MY GOD, IS THAT YOUR NATURAL COLOR?!"

Before Creed could respond the tall man was standing over him, running his fingers obsessively through his hair. He even dug at the roots a little to check for a different color, much like Train used to when they first started spending time together.

Creed blushed brightly and froze, his book still at his face as he stared absentmindedly at the words. "U-umm… Yeah it is. I get asked that a lot." He tried to laugh, but it came out shaky as the man was making him very uncomfortable.

"Uhhh, I **love** it! My hair is so **boring** I can't help but get excited when I see something so unique."

On cue, Train walked out of the closet, fully clothed minus the tie. The suits they were wearing were a dark maroon with a black tie. Creed had told Train it would make his golden eyes stand out more, and he was right. Normally, that was the first thing the silver man noticed about his cat, but the color made it impossible to look away. The suit curved perfectly to his body's shape, somehow both hiding and showing off how fit he was. Train, as usual, left his top buttons undone, hating the restriction of tight clothes and unknowingly giving Creed a beautiful show. The silver man was lost at the sight, tunnel vision kicking in as his body grew weak.

Train was frowning and trying to unbutton the sleeves, regretting the decision to snap them in place. "Sven, do I really have to wear the tie? I've been rid of the beast since high school and I don't want to invite it back into my life!"

Sven rolled his eyes at the cat. "Yes, Train, you do. Don't worry, it's just for the ceremony and pictures. After that, you'll be free to take it off."

"Oh, please feel free to take more than that off!"

Train's eyes turned to the voice which belonged to a man he did not recognize. Said man was suddenly way too close to Train, eyes looking him up and down then suddenly falling on his hair. "Oh, those **eyes** and that **hair**! Uh, it's too much to bear! I think I'm in love!"

He ran his fingers through the bush Train called hair much like he did Creed. However, his fingers moved a bit more frantically, as if hair was a new concept to him.

"And your name is **Train**? How exquisite! My name is Ken. It's so **boring**! I've never seen **anyone** like you! You're so **beautiful!** Oh, please don't break my heart and tell me this is a real connection!"

Train swallowed and blushed, then meekly pointed at a still stunned Creed, unable to speak over the enthusiastic man's words. The stylist looked at Creed, then smiled sadly.

"Ah, I see. So you're both taken. How sad. I don't know if my heart can take it!" He made a dramatic movement with his hand, then clapped them together and walked away from Train. "Oh well, life goes on. At least I'll have my moment with both of your lovely heads today!"

The cat clutched his hair tightly. "No! You're not laying a **finger** on my head!"

Ken glanced back and Train and frowned widely. "Oh, now **that** hurts my feelings! No matter, who's first?"

Jenos jumped off the couch, waving his hand wildly. "I volunteer myself!"

Ken sighed in frustration. "Seriously? Out of all the hair in the room I get literally the most **boring** first?"

Jenos gapped in offense. "How rude! I take great pride in my hair!"

The stylist shrugged his shoulders and gestured for him to sit. "Very well. Sit. I'll do Llyod next, then mister handsome silver boy over there, and lastly our wonderfully green haired groom! Looking forward to that as well."

As Jenos sat, he glanced at Train quickly. "And by then maybe my cute little golden eyed friend will have changed his mind and fallen in love enough to let me have at that gloriously rebellious hair!"

Train was still holding his hair, but added a growl to it when he said that. Ken smirked and threw the barber cape over Jenos. As he began working, his mood turned back to serious, forgetting everyone else in the room.

Never letting go of his hair or letting Ken out of his sight, Train made his way over to Creed, who had been staring at him the whole time. Once he thought he was safe, he sat down next to his partner and freed his hair. When he went to start a conversation with the man, he noticed Creed's eyes were glossed over and his mouth was ajar. It was as if he was both seeing Train and not seeing him at the same time.

Train laughed and snapped his fingers at his roommate, making the man jump and wipe his mouth, just in case he was drooling. "D-did you say something?"

The cat smiled. "Not yet, but I was going to ask what book you were reading."

Creed didn't hear him again because as soon as Train started talking he was entranced once more. He sighed peacefully and ran his hand down his love's arm.

"Train… You're so handsome…"

He gazed lovingly into his boyfriend's eyes, grinning yearningly. "And I was right about the color. You look positively **ravishing** …"

His hand moved from Train's arm to his thigh, forgetting other people were in the room. Had Train not grabbed, they might have been in the situation they were in the closet. The golden man held it and looked at Creed.

"We're not alone, remember?"

Creed blinked and glanced around the room. Sven and Llyod were joking in the kitchen, opening up a bottle of champagne. Jenos was distracted by a very intent hair stylist, who seemed to have forgotten anyone else was even present. Creed smirked and turned back to his cat.

"No one's paying attention. And you're just so… **perfect**..."

He brought Train's hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, never breaking eye contact. Creed did it a few more times, earning a blush as Train who looked away when Creed gave him that same look he wasn't sure what to do with.

"You're insatiable…"

Creed chuckled and kissed his wrist and rubbed his hand zealously. "Just shut up and let me continue showering you with adoration."

Train shrugged his shoulders, but Creed could tell by his blush that he enjoyed the praise. Which the silver man was more than happy to give. He continued kissing his hand until a loud voice interrupted him.

"Finished!" Ken shouted as he ripped the cape off Jenos and spun him around. Jenos looked mostly the same, but his hair was a little shorter and more tame. The ends of his hair framed his face slightly, accenting his rugged jaw finely.

"That was fast." Jenos said as he stood from the chair and looked at himself in the mirror, smiling at the results.

Ken was wiping his tools off for his next customer. "Eh, your hair is so generic and I got bored and finished quickly. Lloyd, get your cute little behind in here! You're next!"

Jenos sulked away from the tall man, obviously insulted by Ken's lack of interest. Lloyd entered the room, two glasses of champagne in hand. He offered one to the barber who declined politely. "I don't drink while I work."

As Ken worked on the best man Sven entered the room with a glass for Creed, Train, and Jenos. Each took one and gathered around the dining table. Jenos pulled out a deck of cards which made Train laugh.

"Wanna lose your money to this guy again?" Train said as he gestured at Creed, who was smirking knowingly.

Jenos glared at the smiling man who was innocently sipping his drink. "No… I want revenge!"

Sven rolled his eyes. "Before you do that, go get changed. We still need to make sure we're all ready on time."

"I'm ready!" Train said, raising his hand enthusiastically.

"Yes… Now don't spill anything on yourself!" The groom warned him as he eyed his drink distrustfully. "As a matter of fact, I'm taking this back."

"Awww…" Train said as his green haired friend moved his drink away. "Fine, whatever, just go get changed, Jenos. Creed'll kick your ass all over again!"

"Oh no he won't. He's next!"

Ken announced as he released a new Llyod who looked **much** different than before. Lloyd nodded and thanked the man, walking over to the table and pouring himself another small glass. Train frowned.

"Man, you sure do move fast. But efficient, I guess." The cat said while eyeing Lylod's new hair.

"Oh? Does that intrigue you? I'll be finished with plenty of time to spare if you're interested in a taste of my talents." He winked at Train who looked away quickly and shook his head violently.

"No matter. Then hand over that handsome man of yours! He's my next victim." Ken eyed Creed charmingly and motioned with his finger to come over. The silver man obliged and set his drink down.

As Creed approached the man his hair was assaulted once more before he was shoved in the chair forcefully. He felt Ken's fingers still running skillfully through his hair and just knew the man was smiling deviously. When he felt the stylist's face next to him, Creed jumped a little and stared at his reflection frightened.

"Oh, I am going to have so much fun with you, handsome…"

Next thing Creed knew, the man was all business. Although he said he'd have fun, it didn't seem like much fun considering he was silent the rest of their encounter until he was finished and revealed a new Creed.

"Complete!" He said cheerfully as he pulled the cape away with a flourish.

Creed looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. He had always liked his face, and was starting to get upset over his hair covering it. His hair was still long, but no longer covering his face letting his eyes take in the world much easier. Creed's silver hair was combed and styled back slightly, making his already youthful face look younger and his blue eyes wider and more innocent. Overall, Creed liked the difference and let Ken know that.

"I told you I work magic. You sure you don't want in on this, lover boy?"

Train shook his head again and hid behind his cards. The cat's hands covered his head protectively, as if Ken was eyeing it lustfully, which wasn't really that far off from the truth. Jenos had finished getting dressed, along with Llyod and they started a game of poker.

The barber sighed sadly. "Fine. Jeune marié, you're next." Seeing no response from Sven, Ken sighed again, but more angrily this time. "Sven, that's you."

The groom stood up and quickly made his way to the barber who began work immediately. Creed walked over to the table as Jenos made room for him, still wanting his revenge. The silver man put up his hand apologetically.

"Sorry, I need to get changed."

He ignored the growling man as he disappeared into the bathroom, returning moments later fully dressed. As he stepped into the room, Lloyd smiled at him behind his cards.

"Hey! You clean up good!" He commented as he pushed out a chair for him to join.

Jenos scowled at his cards and didn't look at Creed. "Sit! The time is nigh!"

Creed took a seat next to his cat as he was dealt cards. He noticed Train eyeing him secretly and felt himself blush a little bit. The silver man leaned over so he could whisper to him while the other two men were distracted by their cards.

"How do I look, Train?"

His love was blushing and trying to cover it. The golden man smiled and rubbed his knee under the table. "You look good."

Creed knew that was the best he could get from his partner and kissed him on the cheek happily. Even the smallest of gestures from his beloved meant more to him than anything else in the world.

Once Sven was finished he got changed as well. They had a few extra minutes so they played one game of poker as a group and all lost horribly to Creed again. Each man was very depressed except for Train who knew that money was essentially both of theirs at this point. Last time Creed won all that money he bought Train a really fancy dinner since he felt bad the cat was paying for rent by himself right now.

Lloyd stood and cleared his throat as Creed counted his winning, Jenos fuming across the table.

"I think it's only fitting we do a short toast for the groom before we head out!"

He lifted his glass and everyone else did the same, Train finally getting his back from Sven who rolled his eyes at the cat.

Lloyd smiled and continued. "Most of what I want to say will be said tonight at my real toast. So for now I'll leave you with this: Sven's she's too good for you… Don't screw it up!"

They all laughed and cheered each other, finishing their drinks quickly and heading towards the door. As they were packing up, Ken called one more time for Train.

"Are you sure you won't accept my offer, cutie pie? I can get you worked up real quick and satisfied before you know it!"

Train sneered and grabbed his hair again. "No means no! You will not lay a single blade on these precious locks! I've worked too hard on them!"

"You don't work on them at all…" Jenos said as he passed the cat and headed towards the door.

"Shut up, Jenos!" Train yelled and followed after him.

As the golden man passed Ken, the barber snipped some scissors at him, making Train jump away and assume a karate stance. As the rest of his friends walked out the door, Train backed up slowly after them, hands ready in front of his face to slice and offensive objects away. As Ken smirked and made a dive for him, Train yelped and ran out of the room quickly, shutting the door loudly behind him.

* * *

Guests were beginning to arrive and the bridal party and family was in the back taking way too many pictures for Train's taste. While the bride's maids were having their time with the camera man, Creed pulled Train aside to fix his tie, claiming it was not on properly.

"What do you mean 'it's wrong'? It's on isn't it?"

Creed gently smack his beloved on the shoulder. "You know how a tie is supposed to be worn. You wore one for four years!"

Train pointed a finger in the air. "Correction: I was **supposed** to wear a tie for four years. If you recall, it was rarely on my neck."

Creed frowned but laughed as well, giving away that Train's words had amused him. "Just stop squirming so I can fix it. You ruined enough pictures today."

Train had quickly become 'that guy' in the group that just couldn't take any pictures seriously. There were so many of him in ridiculous poses with a frustrated Sven next to him. Jenos didn't help by egging the cat on, Lloyd doing his best to contain his laughter and Creed desperately trying to keep his boyfriend under control. It was useless since they all knew Train was going to do what he wanted to. They were able to get several good pictures done, but the silver man could tell the photographers did **not** like his cat.

Train yelped when Creed tightened his tie up to his neck. Next, Creed buttoned up his jacket, brushed off his shoulders and smiled. "Perfect."

Seeing his beloved struggling under the tie and subconsciously loosening it, the silver man slapped his hand away, then placed both of his hands on either side of Train's face, squishing his cheeks together a little. "Behave yourself. We're almost done."

Creed's heart skipped a beat at his cat's cheeky smile. "No promises!"

"Would someone control this woman?!"

The voice came from a very short photographer who's very tall assistant stood next to him. She was looking very scared as the short man pointed angrily at Saya, who was trying to lift the bride onto her shoulders for the next picture.

From the side, Train laughed and made a move to help the girl, but Creed grabbed his arm to stop him. "You've done enough damage to the poor guy."

The golden man chuckled and allowed his partner to restrain him. "They hate me **so** much."

Creed pulled him a little closer and leaned against him, hoping the gesture would prevent him from running off. "They do, so there's no need to make yourself more of a pariah."

Train chuckled as his roommate rested his head on his shoulders. He decided to content himself with Saya's antics and the company of Creed. When the women were done, the photographer sighed loudly and called the rest of the party back over.

They lined up on either side Eve and Sven, copying the order they would be walking down the aisle. Creed couldn't help but notice Echidna eyeing the line wearily, seeing she was not aligned properly with him. She wasn't given him to react, however, as the pictures had started quickly. The photographers went fast, already sick of this group of people as they ushered them off quickly.

"Alright, wonderful, get out. Family's turn."

Train waved as Creed pulled him away before he caused more problems. "Try not to miss us too much!"

Very subtly the short man flipped him off, being sure the family did not see his gesture. The cat winked at him in return then allowed his partner to pull him away. As they walked, Train took Creed's hand and walked next to him instead of letting himself be dragged away.

"Man, I'm **starving**!" Train said as Creed smiled at him. As many times as his cat held his hand, the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach would never go away.

"Same! Let's go get some grub!" Saya said loudly as she burst into the large ballroom where cocktail hour was happening. She smiled and waved wildly at Lucia, who was holding two drinks. The girl offered one to Saya as she approached, giving her a small peck on the cheek.

Jenos dragged Rinslet off to the bar who rolled her eyes, but followed nonetheless. That left Creed and Train standing at the door to take in the room. The twins and Lloyd were family, so they were still taking pictures. The cat's golden eyes widened at the sight before him, in shock at how big and lavish it was.

"Good God, I didn't know they even **made** rooms this big."

Creed was just as dumbfounded as his eyes scanned back and forth. "Not even in my wildest dreams would I be here…"

Train laughed at his roommate. "You'll be lucky if you get a ring pop from me."

The silver man turned his shocked gaze to his beloved at the implication. Seeing the mischief in his eyes, he knew Train was making a joke and rolled his eyes. "You know I actually don't care about that, right Train?"

Train looked at him in shock, confusion settling in those flawless golden orbs. Creed smiled and brought his love's hand to his lips to kiss them delicately. "While I can understand the appeal of getting married, you can achieve the idea of it without such an expensive celebration. The concept behind it is to be together forever and celebrate that decision with your closest friends. However…"

Creed put his hand on Train's cheek and caressed it lightly. "As long as I have you, I don't need a party. A piece of paper is just that: A piece of paper. What really matters is the promise made between two people. And that promise all that matters to me."

Train blushed at his partner, then smiled, pulling him a little closer so he could give him a small kiss on the lips. As he did, he felt a bright flash go off next to him and turned to see another photographer standing there. The woman smiled as she took another quick picture, looking at her camera quickly, then walking away to find her next unsuspecting victim.

The cat tried to rub the spots out of his eyes with his fists. "Geeze, how many photographers did they hire?!"

"Don't know, don't care. Miss? Can I please get a copy of that?" Creed ran off after the woman quickly, trying to find her in the crowd to confirm receipt of said picture.

Train shook his head at his partner then was suddenly distracted as a tray of food passed him by. Without asking, he grabbed a handful of whatever it was and shoved it in his mouth, moaning happily at the taste. Another tray passed him by with something else, which he also took hastily and then began to circle the room to find out what else they had. He didn't notice when he was offered a plate and napkin, too preoccupied with getting as much food in his mouth as possible.

"You know there's going to be dinner, right?"

Train turned to the voice and saw Saya standing with her girlfriend, a drink, and a plate of food. The cat brushed her away and continued his hunt, ignoring the disgruntled sounds of the wait staff. The girl rolled her eyes and slipped a few dollars in a cup on their tray. They thanked her politely and walked away.

Train felt his face pale a little as realization hit him. "Shit, I forgot to tip…"

Saya laughed. "Yeah, treat the staff well and they'll treat you well. Don't worry the night is young! You can make up for your mistake."

The cat only heard half of what she said as he circled the room and made sure to drop something in every tip cup he could. He knew what it was like to be a waiter, so he made sure to tip everyone.

As he reached his last waiter, Creed was suddenly next to him, clinging to his arm desperately. Before Train could ask what was up, he saw Echidna walk up to them, letting the cat know everything he needed to. When she got closer, Train wrapped his arm around Creed's waist, pulling him a little closer as the silver man glared at her.

The green haired woman was about to speak, but was interrupted as a crowd of people passed by her and headed towards two large doors. Creed took that as his moment to walk away with his love, seeing as the ceremony was about to start and they needed to get in position anyway. The silver man walked fast, making sure he was holding on to his cat the whole time until he saw the rest of the party lining up behind the door. Seeing Sven and Eve were not there yet, Creed decided to stay attached to his love, ignoring the green woman as she stepped in the room after them.

Echidna found them and attempted to approach once more, but was stopped when Saya jumped in front of them quickly, followed by Rinslet dragging Jenos to block the woman in her advances. They stood in a circle around Creed and Train for a bit until the bride and groom walked in the room.

When the couple arrived, the room became silent as they walked past. The look on Sven's face was pure joy as he escorted his soon-to-be wife to the back of the line. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, his eyes beaming with love before he left to stand at the altar and wait for her. Once he was gone, the group broke up and took their positions.

Creed took his spot and groaned when he saw Echidna standing there, the woman smiling invitingly at him as she gestured for him to come closer with her finger. The silver man was rooted to his spot, not sure what to do since he knew the order had changed. Rinslet came to the rescue as she grabbed Creed's elbow and moved them in front of Train and his walking partner. The woman went too far as to push Echidna out of the way, smiling smugly as she straightened up and held her bouquet tightly.

"Positions changed. You're walking with my boyfriend."

Echidna gaped at the two and looked back and Jenos who winked and offered his elbow. The green haired woman growled and yelled at Eve.

"Eve, what is the meaning of this?! This isn't what we practiced, everything is going to be **so** messed up now!"

The golden bride turned to her cousin and glared violently. It was amazing how frightening she could look on such a beautiful day in such a glorious dress. However, they could all tell she had already had it with the woman at this point and didn't care about sparing her feelings anymore.

"All you have to do is shut up and walk. Hook arms with Jenos, smile, and make it to and from the altar and with the same partner and everything will be fine. Think you can do that, **sis**?"

Echidna was about to throw a fit but the doors had opened and she and Jenos needed to start walking. He grabbed the woman quickly and pulled her next to him, much to her distress. However, when she saw the room of people staring at her, her attention quickly switched as she basked in the eyes that fell upon her. She walked willingly down the aisle with the man, silently planning her revenge.

Before Creed entered with Rinslet he looked down at her and smiled thankfully. The woman nodded and pulled him along. "Don't worry about it. Let's do this!"

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know what the shopping cart is?!"

Train's walking partner shrugged her shoulders and stifled a laugh at his antics. "Sorry, never heard of it."

"The sprinkler?!" He said as he did the move. She shook her head again. "The Possessed hand!?" Again he did the movement and again she shook her head. "The hair on fire?!"

The ceremony was over and now they were about to enter the ballroom for the reception.

"I'm pretty sure you're just making things up now…" The woman said, again trying to hide her amusement but finding herself giggling at each of his ridiculous movements. She glanced at her green sister who scowled and changed her demeanor back to frustration.

"These are all really stupid and childish. Why can't we just walk in?"

Train looked at Saya and Llyod who looked to be planning something really elaborate for their entrance. He glared at his friend, feeling their lifelong competition resurfacing as she stuck her tongue out at him.

He turned back to the woman, who clearly liked him, but was told she couldn't by her sister. Train smiled his trademark cheeky smile knowing that usually got him what he wanted.

"Because this will be more fun! Come on, how many times will you get to act silly at your little sister's wedding?"

She giggled and blushed a little, then heard Echidna's angry voice from behind her. "I'm sure there will be more weddings in Eve's future. We all know this isn't going to last."

Sven turned and glared at the woman when Eve made a stifled repressed angry noise. Just as he was about to say something, Jenos pinched a strand of her hair in his fingers and plucked it harshly. The woman winced and yelped at the man, clutching her hair as he glowered at him. He ignored her gaze and flicked the hair away.

"Looked like you had some dandruff in your hair. No worries, I got it."

Echidna blushed wildly and turned away from the man, trying to hide her shame. Seeing her sister was distracted, the other twin turned back to Train, trying to hide a smile as the golden man laughed.

"Alright, fine. Just pick a dance and I'll do it. Just nothing too crazy, okay?"

Train nodded happily which made her blush again, covering her face so no one would see. She obviously thought the man was cute and his antics were funny, but she was trying to stay loyal to her sister. The cat showed her a move that was simple and required her not to do much, then stuck his tongue out at Saya who was judging how high she needed to jump to get on Lylod's back.

Creed laughed as his love pretended to throw a rope at his walking partner then turned to Rinslet. "Should… we be planning something?"

Rinslet shrugged her shoulders. "Just spin me and dip me. It's cute and easy. Neither of us has the same personality of our wacky friends, so we may as well stay true to ourselves."

Creed nodded at the idea and locked their arms together, hearing the bride's parents had just been introduced and knowing they were up soon.

Jenos and Echidna walked in first. The green woman wouldn't walk anywhere near him as she quickly went ahead of him, leaving Jenos to finger point and wink happily at the crowd by himself. Next was Creed and Rinlset, the man doing exactly what Rinlset said as they entered, earning a round of applause from the guests in the room.

After him was Train, who entered by himself at first, then looked around as if he was confused where his walking partner was. He then turned around, threw an invisible rope, and pulled in the blushing woman. She hopped in but covered her face, a smile clear on her face as she hopped up to a proud Train who locked their arms together and took their places. The room laughed loudly which the cat bowed to once he was in line and standing next to Creed. Creed squeezed his love's hand quickly then returned it back to his side, letting Train know he enjoyed his actions.

Saya came in next and the room erupted in laughter at the girl on the best man's back as he ran in fast and circled the dance floor. Saya was pointing her bouquet forward, yelling giddyup loudly. The girl then jumped off the man's back and somersaulted to her position, taking a fantastic bow before lining up. She made eye contact with Train and smirked. The cat mocked her smile and looked back at the door for Sven and Eve to enter.

The room stood as they came in, the two running in with their hands in the hair triumphantly. When they reached the center floor, Sven took his new wife, dipped her and kissed her lovingly. After they stood, Saya took her bouquet and stood back in line, giving them space for their first dance.

The lights turned low as the two assumed their position in the center of the room. The song "Pretty Peggy" played in the background as they danced splendidly around the room, guests taking many pictures and videos of the couple.

As Creed listened to the song his eyes drifted from the couple to his love. He smiled warmly when he saw Train was actually tearing up a little. The silver man reached out and held his cat's hand tenderly, rubbing his finger along the back of his hand. Train looked at him from the corner of his eye as well and smiled, returning the gesture and squeezing a little tighter.

After a few minutes the rest of the bridal party was invited to dance with their walking partners. Train felt himself being pulled away by the woman as she put one hand on his waist and the other against his hand. Train looked at Creed, then turned and smiled at his dancing partner, knowing this would happen.

As the party danced, Train couldn't help but notice Echidna refusing to take Jenos' hand who sighed in frustration. Rinslet rolled her eyes and left Creed's arms apologetically to grab her boyfriend for the dance. Saya saw this and walked away from Lylod to grab Lucia and the man took his wife's hand lovingly.

Train looked at his dancing partner, who shrugged her shoulders and let him go, walking off the dance floor to stand next to her very stubborn sister. The cat smiled and turned to his **real** partner, taking gentle hold of his hand, earning a bright, happy blush from the man.

The cat pulled Creed against him, putting one hand on his waist and the other holding his hand tightly. The silver man was beaming graciously at him as he put his unoccupied hand on his love's shoulder, pressing himself a little closer as their feet began to move. Train didn't really know how to dance, but Creed didn't care. As long as he was in his beloved's arms, nothing as mattered

Just as Creed was about to rest his head on Train's shoulder to enjoy the embrace, the music stopped and the DJ announced dinner would be served. Creed growled loudly, making Train laugh and kiss him on the forehead.

"The night is young, Silver Dollar. Don't get mad so early."

Creed sighed and excused himself to get a drink for him and his cat before they sat down. Train let him go and found their names in front of some chairs, noting the other names that were there. He saw Saya, Lucia, Rinslet, and Jenos' names, but paused and panicked at the next two.

_Charden and Kyoko?! Why, Eve?!_

Train became aware of the fangirl's presence when he felt her tackling him to the floor.

"Neko Neko! You look so **handsome**! That color really brings out your eyes!" She leaned forward to kiss him, but Train shoved her off and climbed out from under her. He looked at Charden angrily, who didn't seem to care about the interaction that just happened.

"Really?! Nothing?!" Train said, now holding out his arm to block the girl.

Charden took a sip of wine. "Oh, didn't Kyoko tell you? We've made the decision to have a polyamorous relationship."

Train cocked an eyebrow at the man, not sure what that meant. Kyoko answered for him as she wrapped her arms around his neck when he was distracted by her primary partner.

"It means Kyoko has permission to kiss cute boys now!"

To prove her point, the girl smacked her lips loudly against Train's making the cat yell and push her away. He wiped his mouth then looked at an apathetic Charden. The cat swallowed when she came in for another kiss, but found she was pulled away rather aggressively by an irate Creed.

"Well, **we** are **not** poly. While I respect your choices, I would appreciate it if you confined them within your relationship and left my boyfriend alone."

Kyoko wined at Creed as he pulled her away. "Aww, this is still happening? I thought this was finally going to be my chance with Neko Neko!"

Creed shoved her at Charden, giving him a warning look. The blonde man nodded apologetically and sat his girlfriend down. The silver man checked over his partner, brushing off some dust and fixing his jacket. Train sighed and hugged Creed, grateful for his rescue.

"Why are they even sitting at this table?!" Train asked in frustration.

"Probably because they don't know anyone else here and since we were the only high school friends invited, it makes sense to sit us together." Rinslet answered for him as she and Jenos took their spots.

Train rolled his eyes and sat down, taking his tie off quickly and throwing it on the table. "She knows what it's like for me when that girl is around! Why would she do that to me?"

Saya jumped on his back and grabbed his drink, taking a big gulp as Train fought to take it back. She swallowed proudly and slammed it back on the table.

"Relax! Now that you're officially with Creed I'm sure it'll be easier to tell her no. Look!" She pointed at the young woman who was texting on her phone as she leaned against Charden. "She's already over it! I think opening up their relationship was the best thing for her. She seems a lot calmer now."

"And I bet Charden is living it up as well…" Jenos said wistfully, which made Rinslet slap him on the head.

"Don't even suggest it."

He nodded and drank his beer. The rest of the dinner had gone mostly uneventful. Kyoko tried to sit in Train's lap at one point, but with a warning glare from Creed and a gentle reminder from Charden she stopped and sat in her primary partner's lap instead. While they ate, the mother/son and father/daughter danced which were the only times the group became quiet. Once dinner was done, the rest of the guests got up to dance. Train made sure to pull out all his dumb dance moves, Saya joining him with much enthusiasm.

Creed even tried a couple of them, but was far more subdued than his two goofball companions. Instead, he enjoyed watching them dance together, sipping his drink quietly from the sidelines. At one point Train grabbed Eve by the waist and spun her around in the air. Saya took the bride from the cat and twirled her rapidly as well, making the small woman stumble as she tried to regain her balance.

"I feel like we were in this same position just a few days ago."

Creed groaned loudly at the voice, making a move to step away but was stopped by an elegantly painted hand. "Oh, come on. Why do you always run from me?"

He snarled at her and pulled his hand away. "Because you won't take no for an answer." Creed was beginning to know how Train felt with his many admirers over the years and understood why his beloved was always so frustrated with them.

The woman smiled at him. "That's correct. A no is just a hesitant yes, afterall."

Creed rolled his eyes. "That sounds a bit too predatory to me. Have a good night."

He stepped on to the dance floor as Train was swinging Eve back and forth in his arms, Saya now dipping an entertained Sven on the very crowded dance floor. Creed tapped Train's shoulder gently, then took Eve from his arms and assumed a dance position with the young bride. His cat bowed and conceded to him, moving over to Saya and Sven to dance with the groom instead.

Eve smiled at her much more tame friend. "Thanks, I was getting dizzy."

"Any time." Creed said as he twirled her slowly, so as not to make her more unbalanced.

Eve saw Echidna staring at them from off the stage and frowned. "I'm really sorry about my sister."

Creed pulled her back and smiled. "Don't be. Just enjoy your day. You look absolutely stunning and you shouldn't let anything bother you today."

The bride blushed and nodded. They continued their dance until it changed from an upbeat song to a slow one. Eve bowed at Creed and found her new husband. Saya had Lucia in her arms instantly, and Creed tried to find his cat, but was unable to. His blue eyes scanned the room seriously as he tried to spot his beloved cat.

"Looking for someone?" Came a voice from behind, but it wasn't that of his beloved.

Echidna had turned him around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders for a dance, holding tightly so the tall man couldn't move. As Creed tried to step away, she pulled him closer and whispered in his ear.

"Just give me one dance and if you're still infatuated with that man, I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night."

Creed growled in her ear and pulled away. "Nothing can ever come between me and Train. Our bond is too strong."

The green woman smiled. "Then one dance won't hurt, will it?"

With another growl, Creed very lightly put his hands on her waist. They were pretty much hovering over her since he so desperately didn't want to touch the woman. He wouldn't even meet her gaze as they swayed back and forth, Creed not moving his feet, only his upper body. He kept looking around the room for his cat, still hoping he would be able to find his love before the song was over.

When he finally did he scowled again, noticing his cat was in a very similar position to him as Kyoko hung happily to him, pinning his arms down as she attempted to dance with him. Train's face was distorted uncomfortably as the young girl rubbed her cheek into his board chest.

Creed stepped away from the woman who huffed loudly at his abrupt departure, leaving her on the dance floor by herself. The silver man walked quickly over to his cat, but was stopped when Echidna grabbed his shoulder.

"You said one dance. The song's not over."

Creed ripped his shoulder from her grasp and kept walking. "I agreed to nothing."

He approached his cat who looked at him helplessly. The silver man tapped Kyoko on the shoulder, who blinked and stared at him in shock. However, upon seeing that look in his eyes, she stepped away sadly, going to find Charden meekly. Creed then took Train'd hand and brought him further into the dance floor, hoping to finish their dance from earlier.

As he was about to pull his cat against him, Echidna was on him again, this time grabbing both Train and Creed's wrists and separating them. She looked at the golden man resentfully.

"He promised me one dance. And I'll change his mind in that dance."

Train squinted at her, as if he didn't understand what she was saying. Then his eye fell to her hand that grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled it away.

"What is your **problem**? Do I need to define the word 'no' for you?" Train said as he rubbed his wrist.

She sneered. "You can't say no to something you haven't even tried yet."

Train rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Man, you might be worse than that girl." He gestured to Kyoko who was now happily dancing with Charden. "At least she knows when to back off."

Echidna took a step closer to Train, her chest nearly bumping into him as she glared up at him. "Watch what you say… You may not like how I react."

Creed simply stared at the two, not sure what to do. It looked like Echidna was about to start a fight with his cat, and he wasn't sure how to stop it. He reached over and took a gentle hold of Train's shoulder and tried to guide him back to the dance floor, still hoping to get a dance in before the song changed again.

"Love, don't. Let's just dance."

Train nodded and turned from the woman, who promptly kicked him in the back when he turned away from her. The cat stumbled a little and turned around to look at Echidna, who was fuming with her hands balled into fists.

She growled as she eyed the two. "I **always** get what I want!"

The green woman launched herself at Train, who dodged quickly making her fall on the dance floor. She got up and tried to tackle him again, but the cat moved and she stumbled forward, nearly falling forward. People surrounding them were beginning to notice and Train panicked, not wanting to disturb the wedding with this woman's greedy behavior.

Train quickly wrapped his arms around her as if they were dancing, ignoring Echidna as she tried to punch and kick him. It really wasn't hard to hold her still considering how much bigger than her he was. The golden man smiled at the surrounding guests, squeezing her tightly to his chest.

"Nothing to see here! Just two friends dancing the night away!"

Creed watched them with anger and amusement. He was happy his cat was handling it so well, but sad as the song ended and he missed his chance with his love. When the song was over, Train released the woman and pushed her away, grabbing Creed's hand and running off the dance floor with him. They were able to lose the woman in the crowd and find their table again without issue.

Train sat in his seat and gestured for Creed to do the same. "It's not fun, is it?"

Creed took a breath of air and sat on his cat's lap instead of his chair. He snuggled into his neck and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "No… Thank you for handling it so well."

The cat patted his shoulder. "No problem."

They sat there as the cake cutting and toasts happened, simply enjoying each other's company while they waited to be served dessert. Eventually the rest of their table sat with them, but Creed remained on his love's lap, trying to feed him cake. Train refused to open his mouth and instead took a handful of his cake and squashed it in his partner's face.

Creed sputtered and wiped it off, growling at a laughing Train. The silver man returned the gesture, making Train drop him by accident. The whole table was roaring with laughter as the cat wined at his state. Creed smiled proudly at him as he stood up.

Jenos threw a napkin at them, but it wasn't enough to clean them fully and the two excused themselves to the bathroom. Creed was leaning over the sink, dabbing his tie gently so as not to rub any stains in his clothing. Train was not being delicate at all as he rubbed roughly into his suit, frowning down at himself.

The silver man giggled and took the napkin from his cat, cleaning up his partner since he was now cake free as well.

"If you rub like that you'll only make it worse. You have to dab like this."

Train nodded at him. "How do you know these things?"

Creed shrugged his shoulder and now dabbed at Train's neck which also had cake on it. "It's common knowledge, Love. The better question is how do you **not** know these things."

Train rolled his eyes and moved his head so Creed could get a better angle at him. After a few minutes his roommate stopped, but took hold of his arm lightly. The cat turned his gaze to Creed who was staring at him sweetly. The silver man then leaned forward and kissed him gingerly, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him closer.

Train kissed him back and tangled his arms around his partner's waist, pressing their hips

Together as he entered Creed's mouth. The cat felt Creed's hands run through his hair and Train slid his fingers up the back of his shirt a little in response, tickling the bottom of his back and earning a lovely purr from his silver partner.

Creed pushed Train against the wall and deepened the kiss even more, pressing further into his love as he twirled his tongue against Train's. The law student took one of his hands and ran it down Train's shoulder then chest, lingering a little at his pecks which made his cat moan a little against him.

As Creed got to his stomach Train moved his hands up further long his back, pushing his shirt and jacket along with it. They had both been drinking, so it didn't occur to them someone could walk in at any more and allowed themselves to forget the world. Creed pulled away from Train's lips and nibbled at his neck lightly, now being able to hear his cat's moans better as his breath brushed against his ear tenderly. He felt Train's nails dig into him a little as he pressed his lower body against Creed's, making the silver man whimper happily and return the gesture.

Just as Creed's hand reached the top of Train's belt and started to unbuckle it, they heard the door open and pushed away from each other. Train turned to the corner and fixed his belt, clearing his throat quietly as he adjusted his pants. Creed turned the opposite direction as Train and pulled his shirt and jacket down, glancing down at himself to see if his excitement was showing.

Luckily for them the man who entered was too drunk to even realize they were there. He stumbled into a stall and started his business. Creed and Train looked at each other wearily, then embraced one more time, locking their lips together quickly before they heard the toilet flush and the man exited the stall. As he washed his hands Train, leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling, as if nothing had happened and the ceiling was the most interesting thing in his room. Creed was washing his hands and covering his lower body with the sink, looking at the man from the corner of his eyes.

He was blushing wildly when the man left and he felt Train fastened on to his neck. Creed moaned and leaned back into his love who ran his finger down his chest and stomach. The silver man placed his hand eagerly on the side of Train's head, the alcohol in his system once again making him not care they almost got caught. Suddenly, his ears perked when he heard the DJ's voice.

"Alright all you lovely couples, this is the last dance! Grab your partner and enjoy yourself before the night is over!"

Creed gasped and turned in Train's arms, grabbing his wrist and yanking him from the bathroom. Train was confused as he followed his partner, trying to straighten himself up as he ran to the dance floor with the man. He wasn't used to Creed being the one to break up their intimate moments, so this must have been important to his boyfriend.

When they entered the room Echidna stepped in front of them, making one more attempt to get a dance out of Creed. The silver man shoved her aside and into her confused twin sister. Train gave the well behaved twin a pleading look and she blushed and escorted her sister away, much to Echidna's distaste.

Creed pulled Train into the room and against his chest. The cat was still trying to gather his senses after their encounter in the bathroom but smiled when he saw how happy Creed was. He put one hand against Creed's and his other on his waist. Creed pressed into his hand and held firmly to his love's shoulder and smiled as "Chasing Cars" played in the background.

" _ **We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own**_

_**We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone"** _

Creed moved his feet along with Train's at the intro of the song started, joy filling his heart as he listened to the words, feeling a connection to the music as he looked lovingly into his cat's eyes.

" _ **If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"**_

Train felt his partner hold him tighter during the chorus and smiled warmly at the man. The golden man kissed Creed's hand gently, as if he was confirming the lyrics of the song, answering a question his partner was quietly asking.

" _ **I don't quite know  
How to say  
How I feel**_

_**Those three words  
Are said too much  
They're not enough"** _

Creed felt tears swell as he listened to the words, but smiled adoringly at his beloved when Train ran his fingers against his soft cheek. He felt himself leaning into the gesture, knowing Train was using his motions to portray his feelings through the song. The music reverberated lyrics harmoniously into his ear, singing levels of truths his cat couldn't speak.

" _ **If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?**_

_**Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life"** _

Creed felt Train spinning him during the next chorus, bringing him back against his chest and smiling freely at him. Train kissed his forehead peacefully and held his partner closer.

" _ **Let's waste time  
Chasing cars  
Around our heads**_

_**I need your grace  
To remind me  
To find my own"** _

Creed rested his head against Train's shoulder as his cat ran his finger's tenderly through his hair. He felt like his heart was going to burst when Train pulled him closer, their feet moving rhythmically together with the beat of the song.

" _ **If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?**_

_**Forget what we're told  
** _ _**Before we get too old  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life"** _

Again, Train spun Creed by his fingertips, then dipped his lightly. As the silver man was thrown back into his cat's arms, he kissed Train quickly on the lips, then pressed his face against Train's and gently caressed the back of his shoulders as they embraced again.

" _ **All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see**_

_**I don't know where  
Confused about how as well  
Just know that these things will never change for us at all"** _

Creed pulled away and gazed into his love's eyes as the song rang against the walls. He felt Train rub his thumb against his cheek and purred against his strong digit, memorizing every second of his moment. The silver man saw his cat's eyes glistening with tears as he tried to show his feelings through his gestures and expressions. He was desperately trying to show Creed how authentic the music was to his heart. It was as if this song was made just for them. It sang so many volumes of veracity and Train was grateful to use it as his voice right now.

" _ **If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"**_

As the chorus played one more time the DJ's voice spoke as he played, "Closing Time" to get the guests to leave. Train and Creed didn't hear this as they stared at each other, following the song's request and forgetting the world around them. No words needed as the music had done all the talking for them. Creed leaned forward and kissed his beloved deeply, letting him know through his embrace he understood Train's message loud and clear.

As the lights died down and the guests began leaving, they remained on the dance floor until they were completely alone except for the staff that started cleaning. Finally they pulled apart and Creed smiled blissfully at his love.

"I love you, Train."

Before Train could feel guilty or respond, Creed kissed him lightly again and held him close. Feeling his beloved's arms wrapped around him was all the confirmation he needed.

* * *

"Chasing Cars" is actually very dear to my heart since it's one of me and my husband's songs. I thought it was also perfect to describe Train and Creed's relationship. Again, I highly recommend listening to it while you read that part of the chapter. It'll help with the romantic feels.


	20. Rough Day

CW: There are some slanderous words used in this chapter. I DID NOT like using them and had a really hard time writing them. I also do not approve anyone using them in real life. If anyone out there is hurt, I am more than willing to change the words used to something less aggressive. I hope you read and understand it happened to progress the climax of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

** Rough Day **

An excited screech left Creed's mouth as he thumbed through their mail and locked the box behind him. He ran up the stairs in a hurry and burst into their apartment. Train was currently taking a nap on the couch, half of his uniform still on since he had fallen asleep after a late night shift that carried over to the morning. He didn't want to wake Creed so he decided to sleep on the couch.

Creed was kind enough to lay a blanket on him when he woke up, but had completely forgotten to use that same kindness as his elation over what came in the mail. The silver man jumped on his roommate roughly, waking him up as Train let out a loud and disturbed gasp.

"Creed?! Wha-what?! What's happening?! Who's here?!"

The law student laid on his cat happily and shoved pictures in his face. "Look what **finally** got here!"

Train blinked a few times so he could focus on what his enthused partner was shoving in his face and took the pictures. "From the wedding? That was like nine months ago now, wasn't it?"

Creed smiled and snatched them back, sitting up so he was still on top of Train, but on his lap instead of his stomach.

"Actually, ten months. It's partially my fault it took so long. We left in such a rush and grabbed so many things left behind I lost the photographer's card. Eve's been so busy with her studies she didn't have time to get back to me with their contact information. Then, once I had the information, they had to-"

Train groaned and rolled over, knocking Creed off the couch and onto the floor. "Ugh, I don't need the whole story! We got them, so now you can finally put those frames to use."

The silver man frowned at his love's back as he tried to go back to sleep. "Are you still having a hard time at work, Train?"

Train's long and tired sigh was the only answer he needed. Creed stood and rolled him over all the way so his cat was laying on his stomach. The silver man then straddled his waist and began to give him a massage. His love had at least taken his jacket off before he fell asleep, so Creed was able to slide his fingers up his shirt to access the tense muscles.

Feeling his partner relax under him, Creed smiled. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

He sighed again, but a little more serene this time and Creed worked on his strained back. "The whole system is messed up…"

Creed stopped massaging at his words, a little shocked to hear such bluntness. He knew Train was having a hard time and didn't enjoy the work as much as he thought he would, but he wasn't expecting his beloved to make such a strong statement against the whole force.

"What do you mean?" Creed moved his hands against him again, trying to work out a knot on his shoulder.

Train winced a little at the pressure, but relaxed soon after. "Do you remember the story I told you about the woman they bullied for double parking?"

"Yes, but you said that was settled and done with." Creed moved to his other shoulder to work out a knot there.

His cat nodded. "Yeah, but something similar happened again. Last night I watched them rough up a man who was stealing bread from a convenience store."

Creed cocked an eyebrow as his fingers dug into his cat's hard tissue. "Roughed up how?"

Train groaned again, then sighed. "The guy has a black eye and broken thumb... And for **what**?! A lousy piece of bread that cost one-ninety-nine? He's sitting in jail waiting for someone to bail him out now."

The silver man frowned and worked on his lower back. "That **is** quite excessive..."

"Tell me about it! And I just **watched** them do it! Any time I tried to say something, they threatened to report me to the chief, and I already know he hates me."

Creed used his palm to work out a particularly hard knot and frowned again. "That's true. He also doesn't like how you won't wear your uniform properly."

Train threw his hands in the air. "That's the other thing! I'm sick of having to follow all these stupid rules while other cops get away with beating up a poor man whose only crime was **bread**! You know what else happened?"

The golden man sat up a little and turned to look at Creed. "A guy I caught with a loaded pistol walking into a church was released today."

Creed blinked at him. "Wh-what…?"

"Yeah, turns out, daddy's rich and paid off the department so his son could be set free. All they did was make him promise his son wouldn't carry a gun around anymore. That's it! How messed up is that!? He could have **killed** someone if I didn't stop him!"

Train fell back on the couch, gripping his hair roughly and undoing all the relaxing work his partner had done on his back. Creed sighed and started over with his shoulders. "Did you talk to anyone about it?"

"I tried! I really, really tried, but **no one** would listen to me! They either didn't give a shit what I had to say and came up with every excuse in the book as to why it was okay, or didn't believe me."

Creed felt his heart break for his love. Train was trying so hard to do the right thing all the time, but it seemed like he kept getting punished for it.

"I joined the force to protect and serve, like we're supposed to. To become a 'professional bully hunter', as you put it a long time ago, and so far the only bullies I've seen are my co-workers…"

Creed sighed and ran his fingers through his love's hair. "I'm so sorry, Train. I know you're trying hard, but remember what this is for. You want to take it to the next level, right? To become a detective and help on a different level."

The golden man groaned sadly. "What if it's no different? What if it's worse because they have **more** power? What if it's just the same shit different title?"

The silver man stopped his hands and laid on top of his cat, cuddling against his back lovingly. He didn't know what to say to that since Creed didn't have the answer. He was becoming a lawyer to help those same people Train was describing were being locked up. Creed wanted to protect the innocent and clean up the garbage. He didn't agree with the harsh sentences Train had been describing to him, and that's what Creed wanted to fight against.

"If you're gonna take away someone's freedom, then it better be over something big…"

Train completed Creed's thought and the law student smiled. He kissed the back of Train's head and sat up. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

He went back to his massage, feeling his cat relaxing more underneath him. "Don't give up yet, Love. I know it's hard, but think of all the people you **have** protected. Whether they were being protected **from** the police or not, think of what might have happened to some of them if you didn't step up and intervene."

Train nodded, but still wasn't pleased. "And every time I do that **I** get in trouble. I'm so tired of being the one in the hot seat because I can't stomach the behavior of my co-workers."

Creed kissed him on the back of the head again and Train sighed. He needed a change of subject, so he addressed his partner's earlier obsession.

"Why don't we take a look at those pictures?"

He laughed when Creed squeed merrily and moved off his love. The silver man grabbed the discard photos that fell to the ground and cuddled against Train as he sat up on the couch. Train's eyes still had bags under them, but he didn't want to sleep with this sick feeling in his gut so he needed a distraction before he tried again.

As Creed leaned against him he put his arm around the man, pulling him a little closer as his partner flipped through the pictures.

"Why are there so many?!" Train asked as Creed flipped through the large pile.

"Well, I asked for **every** picture we were in, so there are a lot with the bridal party and of us in the background. The photographers were thorough in their search it seems. Also probably another reason why it took so long."

There was one picture in particular he was looking for: Their dance at the end of the night. Train eyed his roommate as he moved quickly through the stack, clearly on a mission he didn't want to interrupt. The cat jumped when Creed screamed, grabbing the picture he had been looking for.

"I'm so glad they took one! Eve said one of the photographers thought we were the cutest couple there, minus the newly weds one of course, so they took a lot of pictures of us." Creed beamed at the photo and showed it to Train happily.

His cat laughed and looked at it, exhaustion still evident on his face that he tried to hide so Creed wouldn't fuss. The golden man didn't want to bring his boyfriend down just because he was miserable in his career.

"That's nice to hear since the main photographer hated my guts."

Creed giggled then looked at his cat and saw how he could barely keep his eyes open. He frowned and put the pictures down, pushing his cat gently back on the couch. "Go back to sleep, Love. We can look at these later."

Train tried to protest and pretend he really wasn't tired, but Creed knew how stubborn his cat was, and didn't take no for an answer.

"Quiet. Go to sleep now, my sweet cat. We can look at these later. Besides, I need to get to class anyway. I can't let you distract me, no matter how cute you are when you're tired."

The golden man grumbled, but laid back down. He rolled over so his back was facing the common room as Creed pulled the blanket over him. Train would have moved to the bed, but he figured he was already on the couch, so he may as well stay there. Creed kissed him lightly on the cheek and caressed his hair for a few seconds. With one more kiss, Creed left, taking his books with him and closing the door quietly so as not to disturb his beloved.

Train heard the door shut and tried his best to fall back asleep. However, his mind kept wandering to the previous night's events. He kept replaying the incident in his head, trying to think of what he could have done differently to protect the poor guy. While he did technically break the law, he didn't think he deserved **that** kind of treatment. There was no need for such excessive force.

Growling loudly he sat up and put his shoes and jacket on, grabbing his keys and heading out the door. Maybe if he talked to the guy, he would feel better.

* * *

"Something with a 'D', I don't know. I didn't book him. The guy we brought in last night for stealing."

Train was talking to someone at the front, trying to figure out where the man from the previous night was. The woman behind the desk was no help, as it seemed like she really didn't care. It took a few minutes to even get her to get off her phone.

The cat rubbed his eyes as she adjusted her glasses and squinted at the screen. "Dante? Dante Goto?"

"Yes, that's it!" Train said as he slammed his head on the tall desk, sighing heavily as he finally found the answer he was looking for.

"Yeah, he's still in the holding cell. No one has come to pick him up yet."

Train raised his head at that. "Really? It's been ten hours since his arrest. Did he get his phone call?"

She waved him away impatiently as she looked back at her phone. "I don't know, just go away and leave me alone. You got the answer you wanted."

Train tried to give her the sweetest smile he could before he walked away and spoke through his teeth. "You have a nice day too!"

As he stepped away from the desk and towards the holding cells, he heard a harsh laugh coming from the break room. Train recognized it as one of the men he was on duty with last night. Confused, he peaked in the room, curious why he was still there.

When the men in the room saw him, they pointed and cheered loudly. "Hey! Officer Kitty is here! You're not on until late tonight. Shouldn't you be catching a catnap with your **boyfriend**?"

The other men laughed and Train suppressed a growl. They heard Creed call him 'cat' one time, and now they never let it go. He wasn't embarrassed about it or his relationship with Creed, but they all seemed to think he **should** be and tried to shame him every chance they got. However, he was used to being bullied and knew exactly how to handle it.

"Good to see you too Officer Edo. So sorry you're upset that I'll have a rich lawyer soon and get to be a stay at home cat while you're busy debasing women until you find one who is desperate enough to spread their legs for you. Honestly, do you even know what a woman's touch is?"

The men now laughed at Edo who sneered quietly at the golden man. "What would you even know about a **woman's** touch?"

Train leaned in the doorway and crossed his arms. "Clearly more than you judging by the way you talk to our female co-workers. Honestly, how many sexual assault cases do you have against you now?"

Edo threw him another dirty look, but quickly ignored the laughing men. "Just answer the question, **kitty**. What're you doing here?"

"I could ask the same for you. Shouldn't you be wallowing in your loneliness at your humble abode?" Train raised an eyebrow at the officer, doing his best to hide how tired he still was.

Edo shrugged. "Lost track of time talking to these assholes." He thumbed at the other men in the room who laughed again, clearly not caring how loud they were. "Don't worry, I'll be fine by tonight."

Train scoffed. "Okay, whatever. Did Mr. Goto get his call?"

The officer eyed him wearily. "Why do you care?"

The cat sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Because it's his legal right…"

"Pfft, he lost his rights when he stole from that convenience store."

"It was a loaf of damn bread! Jeez, lay off!" Train couldn't help the anger in his voice as he spoke, then took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Did he at least get medical attention? You roughed him up pretty bad."

Another nonchalant shrug. "He was resisting arrest. He got what was coming to him."

"He was **not** resisting at all! He was having a panic attack because he wanted to call his wife!"

Edo smirked at Train's rage and looked him up and down. "What? You got a **thing** for him? You're all the damn same. Keep it in your pants, pervert, or I'll have to call that precious lawyer you keep at home."

The man's bigotry comment was the last straw for Train and he decided to walk away. He ignored the laughter erupting from the room and stormed off to the holding cells. The golden man knew if he stayed there any longer, he was going to punch the guy in the face and get himself suspended. They couldn't afford that right now. As he approached the holding cell he heard a quiet voice call out to him.

"Excuse, me? Officer?"

Train stopped as he almost passed the cells in his rage. He looked at the man he had met last night. He looked tired and stressed, like he hadn't slept all night and couldn't take it in the cell anymore.

"Mr. Goto, I'm actually here looking for you." Train said as he approached the man in the cell.

Dante looked at him in confusion and Train noticed he was still holding his thumb that was beginning to swell terribly. His eye was puffy and black, to the point where his face was nearly unrecognizable. Train frowned at him. "They didn't offer you any medical treatment?"

The man looked at his thumb and shook his head, avoiding Train's gaze frantically, as if he would be punished for looking at him. "N-no, sir. It's fine, I just wanted to know if I could call my wife? I know she must be worried sick about me. She's pregnant, you see, and I'm the only one who can help her take care of our son."

Train felt his heart drop. "You have a son?"

Dante nodded. "Yes, sir. He starts kindergarten this year. He's so smart. Reading before he even started school. We're very proud of him."

The cat then noticed how dirty and old his clothes looked. It didn't seem like it was all from last night's events. Train walked to the box they kept the keys in, unlocked it and grabbed a set. He turned back to the cell and then noticed Dante was still cuffed.

"They didn't even uncuff you?!"

The man flinched a little at his tone of voice and shook his head. "No, sir."

Train sighed and unlocked the cell. "Stop calling me 'sir', I hate it. Call me Train. I'm off duty."

Dante eyed him uneasily as the golden man undid his cuffs, making sure he was delicate with his broken thumb. "Train?"

The cat nodded. "Yeah, that's my name. Take a seat while I get the medical supplies. I don't know much, but I've at least learned how to brace a finger and take care of a black eye. Just give me a minute then you'll get your call."

Seeing the man didn't sit at first, he tried to smile sympathetically. "I'm not like them, don't worry. I know this may sound corny, but I believe in justice and no matter what you did this-" He gestured to his whole body. "-Isn't it."

Finally Dante sat and allowed Train to brace his thumb. He accepted a pack of ice politely, but winced when he held it against his face. Train then handed him a phone and sat behind a desk that was there, putting his feet up, keeping an eye on him.

A few seconds passed and Dante dialed a number and waited. There was a quiet click, then a female voice.

"Trish… I know, I know, I'm sorry… Yeah, I heard you don't yell you'll wake the baby." A paused as he sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I'm fine, I'm fine… I was arrested. Yes, I know, again. But we were short this month and I knew we needed something to eat." Another pause and Train could hear sobs coming from the other end of the phone. "Please don't cry… It's fine, I know we don't have bail out money. I'll stay here another night. They should release me soon."

As the conversation continued, the cat was able to piece the bits together and realized how desperate this man was. Train knew all too well how it felt to make ends meet. In high school sometimes the only meal he got was the lunch provided to him at school. He couldn't imagine how much harder it was to support a family by yourself and he couldn't blame the man for what he did.

When the conversation ended Train stood and walked over to coffee that had brewed several hours ago. It may have been older, but he figured it might help nonetheless. He poured a cup and handed it to Dante, who was sitting with his hands in his head, sobbing quietly. He jumped when Train handed him the mug, but took it and mumbled his thanks.

As he sipped the beverage, Train went to the closet and grabbed a pillow and blanket, noticing they hadn't even given him that much. They just locked him up and walked away. Train was disgusted by the inhumane treatment and wanted to try to make amends.

He put a kind hand on Dante's shoulder and spoke calmly. "I'm sorry, but I need to put you back in. I tried to make it more comfortable for you."

The man looked at him disorientated, then to the bed he had made. He blinked and sipped the coffee. "Why are you doing this?"

Train sighed and stepped away from the man. "Because I'm not a monster. Take your time. Put the cup on the desk when you're done." One last thought occurred to him and he walked to the closet again and pulled out a bag of peanuts and a bottle of water. He threw them at Dante, who caught them awkwardly.

After a few minutes he finished his coffee and sat it down as he was told. He walked back into the cell and sat on the bench that now had a blanket and pillow. Dante ripped the peanuts open, then stared at them and sobbed. Train wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the phone call he just had.

The cat closed the door and locked it again, but did not leave. "Mr. Goto, where do you live?"

Dante hung his head low, but answered the officer despite his exhaustion. "Hillwood. It's a small town near-"

Train interrupted him. "Yeah, I know about it. Just get some rest."

He recognized the town's name all too well. It wasn't considered a safe neighborhood, which made Train feel even worse for this man. The cat walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. As he walked down the hallway, he was stopped again by the same officer from before.

"Finished with your alone time with the prisoner?" Train tried to ignore him, but he could hear that he was being followed.

"You know, for all your homophobia, you certainly are more attached to me than I think is acceptable. Why are you following me out?" Train said as he walked a little faster, trying to lose the man.

"I'm going home to my **woman**. You just happen to be walking in the same direction." Edo said, keeping up the pace with the cat.

Train rolled his eyes. "I find it hard to believe you convinced anyone to bring you into their home."

"Believe what you want, Officer Kitty. I'm too tired to keep up with this smartass battle. Get out of my way."

He pushed Train out of the way and walked out the front door, letting it slam in the golden man's face. The cat took a deep breath to calm himself down again and left. He looked up directions on his phone to Hillwood, but added a pitstop first. While he didn't know exactly where the man lived, he figured if he got there he could ask around and figure it out. It was a small town, so chances that someone knew who he was were pretty high.

Finding the correct path he closed his phone and began to walk to the closest station. When he stepped onto the train he sat down immediately and fell asleep. He needed the last stop, so he was confident the stopping of the vehicle would wake him up.

* * *

Train jumped when he heard a loud ding and a conductor's voice.

"Final stop, Hillwood. All remaining passengers are asked to leave the train at this time."

The cat stretched wildly as he stood from his seat, then yelped when he saw the doors were closing. He jumped out quickly, barely making it as he stumbled along the sidewalk, trying to regain his balance. Train caught his breath and walked down the street, looking at his phone for the pitstop he added in.

As he walked, he couldn't notice the locals staring at him wearily, some even crossing the stress to get away from him. Train wasn't sure why, but was still too tired to question it.

When he reached his destination he put his phone away and stepped into the store. The golden man grabbed a basket and explored the market, trying to grab whatever basics he thought a family of three and a half would need. When his crate was full he made his way to check out where the cashier eyed him uneasily. As he was being rung up, he returned the look the employee was giving him.

Now looking away, the cashier addressed him a bit accusingly. "You a cop?"

Train blinked and replied. "Yes. But I'm off duty"

Glancing up at him, the young man narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you **here**? Cops don't come here unless there's trouble…"

Train tried to smile cheekily at the cashier, the gesture not working for the first time in his life. "I'm actually looking for a certain man's house. Dante Goto. Do you know him?"

The cashier flinched at the name. "Yeah, I know him. He's a good man. You should leave him alone."

Train blinked again as the man bagged his items, never making eye contact. Similar to Dante, it's like he thought he'd be assaulted if made eye contact with a cop.

"He… Seems like it. I just wanted to bring these groceries to his family while he waits to get out of jail."

Now the cashier finally made eye contact and halted in his movements. "Say what?"

"He's in jail. It's nothing serious, but I overheard his conversation with a woman I believe is his wife and it sounds like they're having a hard time. I just wanted to help."

Silence rang in the air as the cashier stared at his face, as if he was trying to read something that wasn't here. "Why?"

"I told you, I wanted to help…"

"Since when does a cop want to help **us**?"

Train stared at him for a few seconds, making sure he was careful with his words. It was clear this man didn't trust police officers, so he didn't want to give him reason to be more concerned. "Since I joined a year and a half ago."

The man looked him up and down again. "Guess I've never seen you before. Do you have a gun on you?"

Train shook his head. "I only ever carry it when I'm on duty."

Another strange look from the employee as Train paid. "You're weird…"

The cat chuckled and took the bags from him. "I get that a lot. Do you know where he lives?"

The man held onto the bag for a minute, not really sure if he should tell Train. The cat sighed and handed him his card with his badge number on it.

"Listen, here's my information. If I do something you don't like, just talk to my boss and file a complaint. He hates my guts and is looking for any reason to get rid of me." He waited as the man took his card. Seeing he wasn't going to, Train took it back and turned it over. The cat grabbed the pen that sat next to the credit card swiper.

"I'll even put my personal number on here. That way you can contact me if you're ever in trouble and feel like you can't trust the police. I really do just want to help. I've been there. No one should have to live like that." Train smiled sincerely, which seemed to be enough to convince the man and he took the card and slipped it into his pocket.

"1780 Apple Lane. Trish should be there right now."

Train nodded and took his receipt. "Thank you."

He left quickly and plugged the address into his phone. The cat realized how small this town really was when he noticed he was only a few blocks away from his house. When he approached the door, he knocked and took a deep breath. A voice sounded from the other end and Train heard a child scream.

"Who is it?"

"Ms. Goto? My name is Train Heartnet. I'm from the Shermer Police Department. I was with your husband this morning and I-"

The door flung open to a very panicked and very pregnant woman. "Is he with you?!" She said frantically, looking around for her husband.

"N-no, Miss, I'm sorry to have misled you. I came to see if you were okay."

She looked Train up and down and became more defensive. "That's **all** you wanted…"

Train tilted his head in confusion. "Yes. Why else would I come here?"

"The police never come here unless it's to lock someone up." She said defensively.

"Mommy, is it Daddy?"

A small voice from behind her made her turn around. She picked up a little boy who looked on the brink of turning five. Train smiled at him and put the bags he was holding down.

"Hey there, little guy. I heard your dad talking about you. I grabbed this special just for you."

Train watched as his little eyes widened in delight when he pulled out a plastic robot toy. The child grabbed it eagerly, then showed it to his mom as if she couldn't see it. She laughed at her son, but still looked at Train uneasily. The cat smiled as kindly as he could.

"I know you have no reason to trust the police, but I couldn't help and overhear your husband talking about your situation."

The woman blinked at him a few times, then put her son down to play with his new toy. She eyed the bags thickly, not sure if she could trust the man in front of her yet. Train smiled again, trying to be as heartfelt as possible.

"If you look at my hip you'll see I'm unarmed. I know it's hard for you to trust the police, but I really do come in peace."

She finally opened the door a little more, allowing Train to enter. "Kitchen is that way."

Train nodded and made his way there, putting the bags down on the table. He scanned the room quickly, seeing their son playing joyfully in front of the couch with his new robot. The woman sighed as she watched the officer scan her house.

"I don't have any weapons either if that's what you're looking for." She sounded tired when she spoke.

Train shook his head quickly. "No, that's not it. It's just…" He looked around the house again and frowned. "This reminds me a lot of the place I lived when I was in high school…"

Hearing her silence, Train dropped the subject quickly. "I don't want to overstay my welcome, so if you'd like I'll leave."

As he made his way to the door, he was stopped by her voice. "You said your name is Officer Heartnet?"

Train nodded and turned around. "Heartnet is my last name. You can just call me Train."

"Train?" He heard it come from the boy's voice. "That's a weird name…"

The cat smiled at him. "Yeah, I know. I didn't choose it and at this point I'm too attached to it to change it." He stepped over to the boy, who wasn't looking at him as he played with his toy. "What's your name?"

"Tak." He said simply, still not bothering to look at Train. "You're a cop?" Train nodded. "My daddy said cops are dangerous and can't be trusted."

"Tak! Watch your mouth!" She tried to frantically apologize and bowed deeply to Train. "I'm so sorry, officer. I don't know where he got that idea. My husband has never said anything bad about the police."

Train waved her words away and smiled. "I told you to call my Train. I'm off duty." He kept smiling at the small child who was now flying his robot around. "I'm sorry that has been your reality for so long, but I promise you I'm one of the good ones."

Tak didn't respond and even turned away from him a little. Train sat crossed legged behind him, tilting his head a little as he questioned the young boy. "Did you think of a name for your new friend?"

Tak shook his head and clutched the toy to his chest. Train laughed. "I'm not going to take it. It was a gift, remember?"

He waited another second, then scooted a little closer to the boy. At this point his mother was putting groceries away, but still keeping a close eye on the duo. Train moved until he was next to the child, but still keeping his distance so as not to scare him. He looked around the room again and smiled.

"You know, I used to live in a house just like this. Except I lived there by myself for most of my time there."

Tak didn't look at him, but engaged in the conversation. "Why did you live there by yourself? Did you have a mommy and daddy?"

Train took a deep breath and tried to think of how to explain this to a child. "I had them when I was very little. But they are gone now."

"They died?" Tak asked calmly, as if this was a normal conversation.

The cat blinked. "Yes. Yes, they died."

The boy nodded. "My big sister died. She was hit by a car and we couldn't pay to fix her. That's why they're having another baby."

Train's heart fell to his feet and shattered to a million pieces. _Couldn't pay to fix her? Man, this poor kid has had it rough… And he hasn't even started school yet. Added to that, his dad was arrested. I wonder if he even knows that yet._

The cat glanced at a pile of books next to the couch and smiled. "Your dad said you like to read."

Tak nodded excitedly and crawled to the books, pulling out a few to show him. They were all old and falling apart, but they were still legible which is all that mattered.

"I like this one the most." He said as he crawled back over to Train and handed him the book. The cat smiled fondly, the small boy reminding him of a certain silver man.

"You know, you remind me of someone I care very deeply for."

"Oh really? Who?" He said as he began to flip through the pages.

"He's lived with me for a very long time now and we both care about each other very much. Kind of like your mommy and daddy." Train said, making a connection between his relationship and one he knew the child understood.

Now Tak looked at him confused. "Like a wife?"

Train chuckled at the idea of Creed being his wife and remembered to mention that to him later. "Kind of. But he's a man, not a woman."

The child was still confused. "But, you're a man too, right?"

Train nodded again, making sure to tread lightly knowing his mother was still listening. "Sometimes it happens. I was confused as well at first, but now I understand that it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. What matters is how they make you feel and if they treat you right. Does that make sense?"

Tak seemed to think about it for a minute, then nodded and flipped his book to the first page, suddenly over the new information. "Can I read to you?"

Train nodded as the boy scooted closer and began to read. His mother walked in the room and handed Train a glass of water, which he took politely. The cat paid attention to the little boy as he read, but could feel his mother's eyes on him the whole time. Once he was finished, he closed the book and looked at Train for feedback.

Putting his glass down, the golden man clapped for him, making Tak smiley proudly. "I also really like this book."

"Now, Tak, we can't hold him up for too long. Besides, it's time for your nap."

"Aww, but I'm not tired!" The boy complained loudly as he threw the book on the ground.

Before his mother could react, Train grabbed the robot. "Geeze, that's too bad, because I think your new friend here could use a nap. It was a long journey to get here."

Tak watched as Train made him stretch, then grabbed the toy and headed to the other room. "Oh, well then I better tuck him in. Growing robots need their rest."

The golden man laughed and stood from the ground, turning to a very shocked pregnant woman.

"Are you sure you're a cop?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "That's what the title says. But seeing who I work with, I'm starting to wonder if **I'm** the crazy one."

She smiled. "Well… You're certainly different." The woman stood and offered her hand to Train. "I'm Trish, by the way."

Train nodded and took her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Trish motioned for Train to sit on the couch with her, and he did. "Do you… Know anything more about my husband?"

Train sighed and leaned into the couch. "He's being detained for robbery, but it was only a loaf of bread. My hope is that they'll drop the charges and let him go."

She eyed him wearily. "But… How likely do you think that is? He has a record."

The cat nodded knowingly. "Yes, I understand. But I'll do everything I can to get him out. I'm not going to forget about you guys."

Trish smiled and looked to where her son had gone. "Where did you learn to talk to kids like that?"

Train blinked at the change in subject. "Huh? Oh, nowhere. I just understand where he's coming from. It's hard losing someone you care about at such a young age."

She stared at him. "Your parents…"

"Were murdered. It's one of the reasons I became a cop. But…" He looked at his hands as if they were useless. "It's not turning out to be what I thought it would be."

Trish placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "If we had more like you, it probably would be what it's **supposed** to be…"

He smiled at her and stood. "I should get going. I have another late shift tonight and if I don't get some sleep, my boyfriend will let me have it." The pregnant woman nodded and walked him to the door. "Oh, one more thing."

Train grabbed another one of his cards that he had already written his number on and handed it to her. "In case you're ever in trouble and feel like you can't trust the police, call me."

Before he left, she turned him around and gave him a big hug. Train froze at first then returned the hug.

"Thank you…"

He patted her back and smiled. "I'm just doing my job."

* * *

Train groaned as his phone rang again. He rolled over and ignored the call once more. His captain was calling him non-stop, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was about. He must have found out that Train spoke with Goto privately, fixed his wounds, and just in general treated him like a human being. Whether or not he somehow found out about the extra care he took of the man's family remained unseen. Whatever the case was, Train didn't care. He was out most of the day and needed to get some rest before his shift started.

The bedroom door peaked open as Creed popped his head in. "Train? Are you awake?"

The silver man just got back from his classes. He was usually gone all day since his schedule was always so full. Train didn't know how his partner handled all the work. Just seeing the amount of classes he had to take overwhelmed Train. The golden man couldn't even pronounce half of them let alone be able to take any of them.

The cat sighed. "Unfortunately…"

His partner stepped into the room and on the bed, leaning over to give him a kiss and run his fingers through his hair. Train rolled over and let Creed caress his face and hair, smiling peacefully at the touches. This roommate then laid next to him and rested his head on his chest, snuggling close as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Did you sleep at all?" Creed asked as he settled next to him.

Train put his hand behind Creed's back and pulled him closer, his eyes still closed as he did so. "Yes. Probably about four hours. I ended up in Hillwood after you left."

Creed sat up and stared at his cat. "Hillwood? Why?"

He rubbed his face, still a little tired, but definitely feeling better than he was before. "That guy I told you about? The one who stole bread? I couldn't stop thinking about him, so I went to see him. Turns out he didn't get his phone call, didn't receive any medical treatment, and the only reason he stole the bread was to feed his starving family at home."

Creed was still confused and asked more questions. "That sounds terrible, but why were you in Hillwood?"

The cat rolled over so he could see his partner better. "Because I couldn't rest knowing there was a pregnant woman and little boy going without dinner tonight. I know money's tight, Creed, but… I had to help them."

The silver man smiled at his cat and laid down again next to him. They faced each other on the bed and Creed locked their ankles together, using his foot to rub his leg gently. "We'll be okay, Love. I've been putting more away then you realize. I'm proud of you for doing the right thing."

Train smiled and ran one finger through his partner's hair. "I met a kid today that reminded me of you."

Looking at him curiously, Train elaborated. "His name is Tak. He had a big pile of books to read and he was only four and a half. He even read one to me. He was gonna keep going, but his mom made him take a nap."

Creed rolled his eyes. "Mom's always ruining all the fun."

Train smirked at his next thoughts. "He also called you my wife."

Creed blushed at that, then laughed lightly. "Guess that's not too far from the truth…"

The silver man purred as Train caressed his cheek, closing his eyes at the gesture and pressing into it. Creed then leaned forward and placed his lips on Train's who responded immediately as he pulled his partner closer. Creed rolled over so he was on top of Train, pinning his shoulders to the bed. He pulled away to ask one more question.

"When is your next shift?"

"Starts at 12:30." Train replied quickly.

Creed peaked at Train's phone lying next to him, seeing it was only 10:00. "Did you eat?"

Train nodded. "I got up an hour ago and had something real quick. How about you?"

"On the way here. You look stressed." Creed frowned, feeling the tenseness in his shoulders had returned.

"I am! Unbelievably so!" Train threw his arms in the air, then let them fall back to the bed.

Creed smirked and leaned over his cat. "I can fix that."

Creed pressed his lips back against Train's who ran his hands up his partner's shirt. The silver man slipped his hands under his cat's shirt as well, going instinctively to the sensitive skin on his chest, knowing that was his love's weak spot.

Train moaned against him, but didn't break the kiss. He had gotten used to the gesture, so he knew better how to control himself when it happened. Not satisfied with Train's restrained reaction, Creed pinched them firmly, earning a loud gasp from his cat. Creed smiled against Train's lips, then massaged his chest more soothingly.

"That's more like it…" The silver man said as he licked his lips.

Creed sat up and removed Train's shirt quickly, his following immediately after. He fell back on top of Train and kissed his chest passionately. While this was happening, Train's phone went off again. The cat didn't bother to push Creed away and simply hung it up again.

He instantly forgot about the call as his partner's tongue fell against his nipples, which caused the cat to shout out loudly and grip at Creed's back harshly. Enjoying the feeling of his cat's claws, he continued his motions, going from licking, to sucking, to nibbling. Each level brought a new sound from his cat as he squirmed underneath his partner. When Train's phone went off again, he once more didn't stop either of their actions and ignored the call.

Creed pulled away and looked at his cat curiously. "Who keeps calling?"

Train pulled him back and kissed his neck. "No one, don't worry about it."

While Train was kissing his neck, Creed reached down and quickly undid his love's pants. The cat copied his motions as he unzipped his roommate as well. Once they were rid of the constrictive clothing, they were on each other again, this time with Train against the headboard as Creed straddled his lap.

As the silver man attacked his lips again, Train pressed his chest against Creed's. He felt Creed's finger trail down his chest and to his boxers, fingering his hips and pelvis seductively as he slipped his fingers inside. Train pressed his hips upwards and into his partner at the gesture which made Creed moan in return. When Creed placed his lips on Train's neck, they heard his phone vibrate again.

Groaning loudly, Creed pulled away. "Just answer it. Maybe if you do they'll leave you alone and we can finish."

Train let out an exasperated sigh and reached for his phone, not needing to look at it to know who it was.

"Yes, cap'?" Creed kept kissing his neck softly as he answered, making Train's voice a little more airy than he hoped to.

"Finally! Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to contact you?! Why did you come in on your off time? More importantly, why did you speak to a prisoner while you were off the clock?!"

Train sighed with hidden anger which made Creed wrap his arms around Train's chest, kissing his shoulder gently, trying to prevent his love from getting more stressed. Train leaned back against the bed and tried to let Creed's kisses calm him down. "Which question do you want me to answer first, sir?"

"Don't get sassy with me, just get your ass in here now!"

The cat looked at his phone to check the time. "I have another two hours until my shift starts."

"Do I sound like I give a shit? Get your pants on and get over here! Now!"

He heard a click which signaled he had hung up. Train growled and stared at the ceiling, Creed falling against him as he clung again to his love's neck. "Why doesn't he just fire me and get it over with?"

Creed ran his fingers through Train's hair. "Probably because you haven't done anything contractually wrong and he knows the union will protect you."

"Right…" Train said, now realizing the idea of being fired wasn't so bad. At least he wouldn't have to deal with Edo's shit anymore.

With another sigh he kissed Creed on the head and stood from the bed. He quickly put his pants on and headed for the door. Creed frowned as he watched him go. "Aren't you at least going to shower first?"

Train waved his hand in the air. "No time. I have a feeling if I don't get there now, he's going to hunt me down and kill me."

Creed rolled his eyes and leaned on his elbow. "Good luck, Love."

The cat smiled at his partner before he closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Oooh, Officer Kitty you have some 'splaining to do…"

Of course Edo was the first person to greet him as he walked through the door. Train flipped him off quickly, knowing he had been the one to tattle.

_But tattle on_ _**what** _ _exactly? I didn't do anything wrong. I gave the man the rights he's owed._

Train approached his captain's office and knocked on the door lightly. "It's open, Heartnert."

The cat entered the room quickly and shut the door behind him. "Yes, Captain Kanon?"

"Drop the respectful act, we both know it's not real." The man looked at Train over his glasses as he sat at his desk. "I assume you know why I asked you to come in early?"

Train nodded, but didn't respond. It seemed like talking was only going to get him in trouble.

"What were you doing here while you were off duty?" He glared at Train, looking for any excuse to yell at him.

"I was concerned with the way a man was treated last night and simply wanted to check on his well being." Train answered quickly, making sure each of his words were clear and precise.

"And just why did you care so much?" His tone was accusing, as if Train had an ulterior motive.

"Because I disagreed with the way he was taken in, sir. When I saw him last night he was pretty banged up and I wanted to make sure he had been taken care of properly." Train remained in one spot and made sure his voice didn't show any emotions.

The captain scoffed at him. "That's it? You just wanted to check on him because you're just such a nice guy? You know he has a record, right? He's been in here at least three times the last four months."

_And that's an excuse to beat him up? All those charges were low grade theft, anyway._

Train didn't speak, just nodded. He knew what he wanted to say would get him in trouble.

Kanon scowled at Train and continued. "Not only were you here fraternizing with a prisoner, but you uncuffed him and made sure he was **comfortable**?" He was reading from a piece of paper, probably a written report by whoever tattled. "Whatever that means. Why do you insist on giving special treatment to these criminals?"

"You mean why do I treat them like humans and make sure their rights are met?" Train couldn't help himself. It was absolutely ridiculous he was in trouble for treating a human being like a human being.

The captain slammed his first on the desk, knocking his empty mug over. "Don't interrupt me, Heartnet!"

Train avoided his gaze, knowing the man hated it when he looked at him with his golden eyes. _Or, as he puts it, 'Those freakish cat eyes that pierce my skull.'_

Seeing the cat was following orders, he continued. "Our job is to lock them up and catch the next bad guy. It is not our responsibility to make sure they're comfortable."

"But it **is** our responsibility to make sure their rights have been met." Train again couldn't stop himself.

"Shut your damn mouth while I'm talking!" This time he stood from his desk, then sighed and sat back down rubbing his temples. "You've been here, what, year and a half? You're still a rookie, you don't get it yet. Your green ass hasn't seen the horrors the streets hold."

Train bit his lip to stop himself from talking, but no one could control him. Not even himself.

"I've lived on those streets, sir. I lived most of my life there and scraped my way through. I've seen some terrible things, but at the end of the day, all those people were just desperate and trying to survive. None of them were truly bad people."

_Well, other than Creed's mother and that pervert. But justice was at least served to them._

"So, what? You're sympathetic to them now? You got yourself out of there. If you can do it, obviously it's possible." Train could hear the controlled anger in his voice.

Train paused, trying to think of a response to that without getting in trouble. Though that seemed impossible as his mere presence seemed to set the man off. He thought of Dante, and how life handed him the worst set of cards, yet he somehow managed to survive all this time.

"Not everyone is as lucky as me, sir. We don't know everyone's story, and it's not fair to judge them based on one outlyer."

"They're **criminals** , Heartnet! And it's our **job** to put them away!"

Train glared at him for a minute, making a comparison in his head between what they both considered to be criminals. "In the eighteen months I've been here, the only criminal I've seen brought in was a shooter who was released by **you**."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kanon stood and punched his desk, cracked the wood a little as he did so. It was only then Train was reminded of how large he was, which made the cat shut up again.

Train waited as his captain took a few breaths to calm down. A knock at the door broke the tense silence as Edo stepped in the room, trying to hide his smile as he obviously knew Train was getting his ass handed to him.

"You asked me to come in after a few minutes, Captain?"

Kanon nodded and gestured for him to sit. He did as Train remained standing at the door, arms behind his back.

"Officer Edo here is the one who alerted me to your presence during your off hours." Kanon shook the hand that punched his desk and sat back down.

Train raised an eyebrow. "Then why isn't he being questioned for the same thing?"

Edo answered for their captain. "Because I wasn't speaking with a prisoner."

The cat rolled his eyes. "Still not an excuse to be here."

"I can go wherever I want as long as I'm not disturbing the peace." He smirked which made Train growl quietly.

"How was **I** disturbing the peace by making sure a man in our custody was receiving proper treatment?"

Edo laughed loudly. "Oh, so you 'took care of him', did you? Like you take care of that lawyer at home?"

"That's enough from the both of you!" Kanon slammed his hand again and Train was beginning to wonder how much more abuse the furniture could take. "Edo, I've told you before to leave personal life out of this."

"Sorry, sir." Edo said as he sat a bit taller in his chair, happy to have gotten the last word in. Train did not apologize, since he thought he'd just be yelled at again anyway.

There was silence again as Kanon continued to rub his temples. "Heartnet, you are no longer to speak to the prisoner. Edo booked him, so Goto is now his responsibility."

Train gaped at him. "What? He'll never get out if that's the case!"

He could hear Edo chuckling next to him. "Why is that such a bad thing? Just another piece of trash locked away."

Train threw him a dangerous look which actually appeared to work. Edo had jumped a little under the gaze, then tried to return his glare, but was unable to meet his ferocity.

Kanon glared at both of them as he spoke. "Knock it off! Heartnet, I gave you your orders, do you understand?"

Looking back at his captain, but not making eye contact, Train nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. You are both still working together tonight. Heartnet, you could learn something from Officer Edo. He's been with us for over twenty years."

Train rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure he's been a **huge** asset…"

"What was that?"

Hearing Kanon's question he realized he had spoken too loud and shook his head. "Am I dismissed?" Train asked, looking at the floor.

The man behind the desk waved his hand and started flipping through some files. "Yeah, get out. Officer Edo, keep an eye on him."

The older man stood and bowed at the captain. "Yes, sir."

Train was already out the door, not even pushing the door for his assigned partner for the evening. Edo walked out after him, looking very proud of himself. He followed after Train, who was not in the mood for any more of his drama and refused to look back at him.

"Officer Kitty, wait. We have one more person assigned with us tonight." Edo said before Train stepped out the door to get to their car.

Train growled with his hand on the door, then stopped and turned around to look at the man. "Who?"

Edo smirked, knowing the cat wasn't going to be happy and finding utter delight in that. "You're best friend: Officer Clark."

Train felt like ripping his hair out and screaming at the top of his lungs. Clark was arguably **worse** than Edo. While he did not have nearly as many homophobic comments to throw at Train, his treatment towards civilians was absolutely deplorable. He used his power to scare people who were just walking down the street. And his behavior towards women made you wonder if he even saw them as humans.

The cat rubbed his forehead. "Great… Where is he? I want to get going and get this shift over with."

"Oh? Big plans with your man afterwards?" Edo smirked. It wasn't often he was able to get Train riled up, so he was going to soak it for all it was worth.

"Bigger than you could ever handle." Train said, returning his smirk, knowing exactly what the officer was doing and fighting to regain control of the power struggle.

"Ugh, keep it in your pants, Officer Kitty. No one wants to hear about that."

Clark stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants as he approached the two. He greeted Edo with a hardy handshake and sneered at Train.

The golden man didn't care and headed for the door again. "Wonderful. The gangs all here. Can we get going now?"

He didn't wait for a response as he stepped outside and into the backseat of one of their vehicles. While he had been trained to drive for this job, he knew neither of these men would let him behind the wheel, so he wasn't even going to try. Train was looking at his phone when Edo got in the front seat, Clark in the passenger as they started the car.

Edo looked back at him, obviously still wanting to see how far he could push Train tonight. "Sexting your lover back there?"

"You know it." Train responded as he looked through his messages.

He was actually going to text Creed, but not in the way they were thinking. The cat wanted to let him know what the conversation with his captain was about and the outcome of it. It would just be a summary, but enough to calm his roommate down. He knew Creed was probably worrying, even though he wasn't showing it when the cat left.

"What did I say about keeping it in your pants, Heartnet? I don't want to hear about that stuff." Clark said in a disgusted tone.

"Then why did you bring it up?" Train asked as he glanced at the back of the man's head.

Both of them were silent, but the golden man could tell he trapped them in a corner. Now it was time to attack. "You guys think about my partner more than I do. Should I be worried?"

Clark made a disgusted sound again and Edo scoffed loudly. "Shut up, cat."

Train smiled and leaned back in the car, feeling he was beginning to regain control of their dysfunctional relationship real fast.

"Where we headin'?" Clark asked as he leaned on his elbow and looked out the window.

"Right now we're just patrolling the city until we get a call. You hungry?"

Train knew they weren't talking to him and didn't respond. Instead, he looked out the window as well, taking in the city lights as they zoomed passed them in the speeding car. He knew they were probably going too fast, but again if he said anything it would just start a fight. Train made sure he was buckled in and kept his mouth shut.

Clark chuckled at the other man. "Always. Go to that fast food joint I like. I'm craving a burger."

Edo nodded and made a sharp turn which made Train thankful he decided to put on his seatbelt. He knew how the older man drove and never felt safe with him behind the wheel.

The place they ended up at was actually one of his and Creed's normal eateries. They drove far enough that they were very close to his apartment, but Train would never let them know that, nor would he let them know he came here all the time with his boyfriend. He decided not to get out just in case any of the employees recognized him. That would give the other men more of an insight into his life, which he did not need.

As they approached the restaurant the officers parked the car and stepped out. Seeing Train was not following, Edo knocked on his window from the outside and instructed him to open it. Train did, but did not look at the man.

"We'll be out soon. In the meantime, keep an eye on the car and stay out of trouble. If you go running off to do whatever you please, Kanon's going to have **my** ass along with yours. As much as I'm sure you'd like that, I warn you not to mess with me."

Train didn't look at him. "I'm not sure if that's another ignorant statement about my relationship choices, or about how much I want to see your ass **literally** handed to you, but don't worry. I've had enough of being the captain's used gum."

Before Edo could respond, Train waved him away. "Go. Before we get a call."

Grumbling under his breath he followed Clark into the establishment. Train sat in the car for a little longer before he got out to get some air. The cat leaned his back against the car and stared at the night sky. He watched the stars blissfully, counting as many as he could to distract himself from what a terrible night this was going to be. It was usually bad when he was paired with Edo, but with Clark in the mix he couldn't shake the feeling that tonight was going to be worse than any of those other nights

"Excuse me? Officer?"

Train looked down and saw a young woman approaching him. She was dressed rather nicely, as if she was either going to or coming from a fancy dinner. She was tall, but still shorter than Train, very shapely with dark skin and eyes. Train put her at about the same age as himself, and he couldn't help but notice she looked a little scared to be talking to him.

Train smiled kindly, hoping it would calm her nerves as she seemed on edge. "Yes, miss? Can I help you?"

She looked back and forth. "I-I ummm… I think I'm being followed. I just finished a date, you see, and the guy gave me a bad feeling…"

The cat frowned and stepped away from the car. "Bad feeling how?"

Again her eyes darted back and forth. "Just… A bad feeling. Call it a woman's intuition. But, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being followed. I know I sound crazy, but my phone is dead and I can't call anyone to come pick me up. I'm desperate, can you please help?"

Train eyed her curiously, noticing she had a bruise forming on her arm and one of her heels was broken. There was a bit of dirt on her dress and was torn a little at the sleeve. He quickly pieced the puzzle together and nodded his head.

"Do you have a charger?" She took her head. Train took her phone to see if the one in their car would fit and saw that it didn't. However, he knew it to be the same as Creed's. "Yes. I think I can help you."

Just as the woman was about to thank him, a rough voice came from the entrance of the restaurant.

"Looks like the cat has caught himself a snack." Clark said as he walked towards them, sipping a cup of coffee he just bought and holding a bag of food.

Edo stepped next to him and sneered at the woman. "Lady, you're barking up the wrong tree with this one. Actually, you'd have a better chance at a tree than this guy."

The woman did not respond or look at the two men. Clark approached her and touched her hair slightly. "Pretty one, too. Why does this pansy cat get all the pretty ones?"

Edo laughed as he searched for his keys. "Women like the ' **sensitive** ' types, I guess. Feels like every time I'm paired with his pussy he's surrounded by babes at some point."

Train gave them a warning look, rage beginning to build in his stomach. He was losing his patience fast. Both officers ignored the cat. Edo was still digging for his keys and Clark was still addressing the woman.

"What's the offer?" Clark asked in a hoarse whisper, making the woman jump away.

She blinked at him, her face paling as she did so. "Wh-what?!" She said a bit frantically, looking to Train for support.

Train stepped between them, guiding the woman to the safe side of him gently so he could be a shield for her. "She's lost and possibly being followed. I think we should bring her back to the station so she can call someone."

"Pfft, I'm not driving all the way back there for some broad." Edo said as he finally found his eyes. He looked the woman up and down, then addressed her harshly. "Bad date?"

Train growled. "I don't think 'bad' even begins to describe it. Look at her."

Edo shrugged his shoulders and inserted his keys in the car. "Not our problem. When a law is broken, give us a call. There's nothing illegal about a bad date. Clark, quit ogling and get in. I think we're getting a call."

Clark grumbled to himself as he stepped in the car, closing the door behind him. Edo was on the radio giving Train a minute to address the woman.

"Are you okay?"

She was still panicking and even began stepping away from Train, wondering if he was just putting on a show. Train quickly pulled out a card with his number on it. After he got home from Hillwood earlier, he wrote his number on the back of all his cards, realizing quickly there were a lot of people who felt like they couldn't rely on the police.

"I know you might not trust the police, and with good reason if their actions are any indication of how you've been treated. However, I want to help. Please trust me. My number is on the back of this card. I live very close to here. Just a few blocks away. If you want a place to feel safe and charge your phone so you can call someone, here's my address."

He flipped his hard over again, pulled a pen from his shirt pocket and wrote down his address really quick. "My boyfriend is there by himself. I know going to a strange apartment with a strange man in it doesn't sound appealing, but you have all my information on this card. I'll even tell him to meet you outside so you can wait until you are sure it's safe to go in."

She stared at him for a few seconds, looking curiously into his eyes. Train smiled sympathetically, finding that this new look of his was beginning to work on people.

"I understand if you don't believe me, but I really do want to help. I'm not like them." Train gestured to the men in the car. One stuffing his face with a burger while the other continued his conversation on the radio. "Just take a leap of faith and trust me."

After a few more seconds she took the card and memorized the address. She smiled weakly at him, still clearly not sure about his, but really in desperate need of help. There was also something about those eyes that made her feel comforted. They were different than any eyes she had ever seen, and the sincerity and warmth behind them seemed too genuine to be fake.

"O-Okay… What's your boyfriend's name."

Train changed to his cheeky smile to ease the woman's anxiety. "Creed. Strange name, I know, but my name is Tran, believe it or not. And you are?" Train reached a hand out for her to shake.

She took it firmly, her smiling becoming a little more calm. "Skylar."

"Nice to meet you."

"Officer Kitty, stop giving the woman hope and get in the car! We got a call!"

Train turned quickly and stepped in the car, giving her a friendly wave as they drove away quickly. The cat pulled out his phone quickly and texted Creed immediately.

" _I know this is going to sound weird… But there is probably going to be a woman named Skylar showing up at the apartment soon."_

The cat waited a few seconds, knowing Creed never made him wait for a reply. It was no different now as he responded almost instantly to every one of his texts. Train figured he might have been procrastinating his work a little.

" _What?"_

" _Like I said, I know it's weird, but she looks like she's in trouble. Edo and Clark refuse to take her back to the station because we're too far away and she looks like she was attacked. Her phone is dead and thinks she might be being followed."_

" _So you told her to come here?"_

" _Yeah, I didn't know what to do. If she goes to a residential area and maybe if her attacker sees her with a man, he'll back off. Just trust me, please? I'm following my gut on this one."_

" _Your gut has never been wrong…"_

There was a pause this time, which worried Train. Through the text, he couldn't tell if Creed was being sarcastic or not, but he had a feeling he wasn't.

" _Okay. I trust you."_

Train breathed a sigh of relief and sent his partner a heart.

" _Thank you! I owe you. Can you meet her outside? She's not sure about this whole thing either."_

" _Of course. I'll keep you updated."_

Train sent several more hearts which earned a few from Creed as well. He was jolted from his thoughts as the car screeched to a halt. The cat fell forward a little. In his rush to text Creed, he forgot to put his seatbelt on. Clark laughed when Train shouted out as his face hit the back of the passenger chair and Edo growled.

"Get over it, cat. We're here."

The golden man rubbed his face as he stepped from the car. He felt his phone vibrate, and pulled it out again. Creed confirmed Skylar was there and he was outside with her now. Train sent him another thank you and which Creed responded with a smile.

"Put your damn phone down, Heartnet! We gotta go."

Train noticed Clark and Edo had placed a hand on their gun as they stepped into a convenience store. The cat did **not** do the same, but followed behind. He didn't really trust their instincts, so if they felt like they needed their guns ready, they most likely didn't.

A bell rang as they stepped in the store and approached the counter. The man standing behind it pointed down an aisle that had a young man occupying. Edo nodded and walked down the aisle, Clark following after him. Train, however, stayed at the door. He didn't see a need for three of them against one kid, so he figured he'd stand by the door in case anything happened and they needed to block the exit. Edo and Clark were loud enough that Train could hear their muffled voices from across the store.

"Can I help you, sir?" Edo said as he stepped up to the young man.

"N-no sir. I'm just getting some snacks."

"What are you doing out this late at night?" Came Clark's uneasy voice as he stepped to the other side of the man.

"I just got off my shift. I know it's late, but I don't choose when I work, officers. And I'm hungry."

"Don't have any food at home?" Edo questioned, but already knowing the answer.

He laughed, trying to defuse the situation. "Not this kind of food. My mom is on a strict diet."

"Still live with your mom? How old are you?" Clark asked, actually a little curious.

"Sixteen, sir."

"Sixteen? And you're working this late at night?" Edo didn't sound convinced.

"Y-yes, sir. I'm just trying to help my family make ends meet." The teenager's voice was shaking a little. Train could tell even from here that he was scared.

"He put something in his pocket, officer! I saw him!" This voice came from the cashier at the counter. Train looked at him quickly, the harshness of his voice frightening even him.

His golden eyes went back to the aisle he knew they were in, but couldn't see them. He did, however, hear the officers step closer, followed by a cry of protest from the kid.

"Wh-what?! No! I just walked in before you did! Check the camera! I swear it's the truth!"

The cashier growled angrily behind the counter. "That's a lie, officiers! I just started my shift and he was already here when I clocked in!"

Train heard Edo's voice and started to step forward. "Alright, son, empty your pockets."

"I told you I don't have anything! The only thing I touched is this bag of chips!" He held up the product as proof, his body beginning to tremble as Clark and Edo surrounded him.

"Just do as my partner says and empty your pockets. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Train was there at this point and watched as the kid compiled and reached into his pockets, his hands shaking violently and his face paling with fear. His fingers were twitching so erratically it must have set the officers off, because the next thing Train knew, Edo and Clark had pulled their weapons and aimed them at the child.

"Freeze! What are you reaching for!?"

The kid threw his hands in the air, dropping the chips he was holding. "I-I'm just doing what you asked me to do!"

"Are you armed?!" Clark shouted, pointing his gun at the kid's back.

He couldn't speak as his eyes began to fill with tears. He tried to shake his head no, but since his whole body was shaking, there was no way to differentiate the motions from each other. Train's ear perked when he heard a gun cock, which made him step in.

"Whoa! Let's just calm down! There's no need to escalate matters." Train stepped up behind Edo, his hands in the air as well, showing the teenager he was not going to fire.

"Officer Heartnet, wait at the door in case he runs." Edo said, not turning to look at him, eyes settled on the sobbing child.

Train growled. "Where is he gonna run? You've surrounded him. Just lower your weapons and give him a minute to empty his pockets."

Clark scowled at the cat. "And what if he reaches for a gun?"

The golden man scanned the boy up and down. He was wearing a t-shirt and tight jeans with no belt. The pockets were flat against his hips, showing Train he was most likely telling the truth and not hiding anything. On his feet were dirty sneakers, his hoodie torn at the pockets and shoulders.

"I don't see anywhere on him he could be hiding a weapon."

As expected, they didn't listen. Train felt his heart racing faster. "Just let me pat him down."

Edo growled, but nodded. The cat stepped over carefully and patted him down quickly, just as he was trained to do. Not feeling anything, Train stepped away. "He's clear. Nothing is hidden on his body anywhere."

Seeing the man still had their weapons raised, Train grew more frustrated. "Would you drop your weapons!? He's just a kid!"

Train could hear him sobbing quietly next to him. His hands were still in the air and his knees looked about ready to give out. After a few minutes, they lowered their weapons and put them away. Train sighed and ran a finger through his sweaty hair.

"Thank you…"

When the teenager went to lower his hand, Clark yelled out and tackled him to the ground, pushing Train into one of the walls of the aisles. Edo was next to them in an instant, baton out as he hit the kid in the back. He shouted out in pain, asking for Edo to stop and Clark to get off. Train stood quickly and launched himself at Edo.

The golden man locked his arms around Edo's shoulders, preventing him from making another attack. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

"HE WAS GOING FOR SOMETHING!" Clark shouted at the cat, restraining the child on the ground.

Edo broke out of Train's grasp and pushed him away. He was back on the crying teen again, his nose already starting to bleed as he screamed that he didn't have anything. Just as the officer was about to beat him again, Train threw himself on top of the kid and felt the baton hit him violently in the back. Edo was either too worked up to realize he was hitting a fellow officer, or didn't care and wanted to take out all the frustration he had for Train in his blows.

Another growl and Edo tried to pull Train off the boy, but the cat refused to move. Seeing that dangerous glow in his golden, cat-like eyes, the older man stomped on his stomach, then kicked him in the face. Clark suddenly thought this was too much and released the kid to restrain his partner.

"EDO, STOP!" He locked his arms around his chest and pulled him away. Luckily Clark was a lot bigger than the other man, so it was easier for him to pull Edo away than it was for Train.

Train coughed a few times and stood up from the boy he was protecting. The teenager was frozen in shock. His nose was still bleeding and his face was a little scratched, but otherwise he was unharmed. Train, on the other hand, felt like he had just been run over. The cat groaned as he stood, then offered his hand to the boy. The teen stared at him for a minute, then took the hand and stumbled to stand up.

"Are you okay?" Train asked and watched as he nodded chaotically. The golden man looked at his co-workers as Clark tried to calm a very angry Edo, then back to the kid. "Get out of here."

He didn't need to be told twice and he snuck out the door quickly before anything else happened. Finally seeing Edo had regained most of his sense, Train turned to them. Both men looked at Train with uncontrollable fury.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Edo shouted loudly. At this point the cashier had run to the back, not sure who to call considering the police were already there.

Train gave them his dangerous glare again. "That should be my question! He was just a kid! And I checked him for weapons **and** stolen goods. He was clean!"

Clark barked savagely at the younger man. "He was going for something, I saw it!"

Train threw his hands in the air wildly. "Going for **what**?! I told you I checked him!"

"AND YOU MISSED SOMETHING, I KNOW IT!" Clark bellowed again, his face turning red with rage.

"SHUT UP THE BOTH OF YOU!" Edo reentered the conversation as he punched the aisle next to him, nearly knocking the unstable wall down. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "We need to get the cat back to the precinct. He's bleeding and protocol says we need to address non-lethal on work injuries there."

Clark growled at the cat one more time before storming out of the store and to their car. Edo followed suit, leaving Train in the store by himself. Before he left, he grabbed a frozen bag of peas from the freeze in the back, slammed some money on the counter and left.

When he walked out of the store and stepped into the car, he felt his phone go off again. Train pulled his phone out as he placed the peas on his face and sighed in relief at the message.

" _She came in, charged her phone and just got picked up. She was very sweet."_

Train felt better reading that, knowing he at least did **something** right tonight. The car ride back was completely silent. None of them had anything to say that wouldn't be another fight. They needed this time to calm down and Train was grateful for the silence. His head was beginning to hurt.

When they pulled up, Train made to leave the car, but heard the doors lock. He looked at Edo uneasily, but the man did not look at him.

"You were attacked by a perp. Got it?"

Train blinked. "You want me to **lie** to the captain?" He wished he had a recording device right now, but his phone was not advanced enough for that.

"You heard me. There was a tussle with a perp and your **pussy** ass couldn't handle it and got beat up."

Clark chuckled brutally next to him. "Not far from the truth. I don't think his **weak** ass would be able to handle anything really dangerous anyway."

Train felt his rage building, as he balled his hands into fists, but he was able to restrain himself. He tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, but the older men seemed intent on pushing him over the edge.

Edo responded to his partner. "This **queer** would be too worried about breaking a nail to ever put himself in any actual danger. He's probably worried his man will leave him once he sees his pretty face got broken. But we better be careful, that **fag** lawyer of his might sue for property damages done to his cat."

That was Train's breaking point and he launched himself from the back seat at Edo. He punched him in the back of the head first, throwing his head forward and into the steering wheel. The older man shouted and clutched his nose, feeling it break from the contact. Train then crawled between the two seats, punching Clark in the face as he tried to stop him and hit Edo again in the jaw.

Edo felt himself bite his tongue, coughing up some blood and jumping out of the car. He stumbled as he stepped into the parking lot, Train leaping after him as he kicked Clark in the face when the other officer tried to grab his feet. Clark was clutching his eye as he stepped from the car to try and separate the men.

Train tackled the officer to the ground before he could get away and punched him in the face several more times. Edo tried to block the blows with his hands, but Train wouldn't let him. He continued punching him in the side of the head, ignoring the crowd from the precinct coming out to watch.

Edo was finally able to push Train off him and stumble away. Train wasn't about to let that happen and he kicked him in the back when he tried to run, causing him to fall face first into the street. Train was on him again, this time punching him in the back of the head until somepne grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air.

Clark locked his arms around Train's shoulders, forcing his hands in the air as he dragged him away. The cat kicked his feet wildly, spewing a lively stream of curse words as Edo was helped to his feet and restrained as well. Train tried desperately to get to the man, his rage now too fierce to contain as the world around him faded and all he saw was red.

He caught his breath and glared flames at the older man, who was looking at him rather shocked. "Say what you will about me… But leave **his** name OUT OF YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!" He screamed the last words as loudly as he could.

"HEARTNET, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Everyone's eyes fell to Kanon except for Train and Edo's. The cat was still trying to see if he could kill the man with his eyes and refused to look away. Edo ripped his arm from the people holding him and clutched his nose again.

"The cat lost his mind, sir." Edo said through his hands, making Train scream and kick in Clark's arms again, who tightened his hold once more.

Kanon looked from Edo to a furious Train and barked loudly. "HEARTNET, SHUT UP!"

Train quieted down, but still never looked away from Edo. His chest was falling and rising rapidly, his heart about ready to explode from his chest and splatter onto the floor.

Kanon looked at Clark and gestured for him to bring Train inside. "Both of you, in my office **now**! Everyone else, show's over! Get back to work!"

The crowd made their way back to their original locations as Clark dragged a still fuming Train in. He didn't let go for fear that he would launch himself at the officier again.

Once they made it to his office, Clark sat him in a chair, but kept his hand on his shoulder tightly, just in case he decided to jump up again. Kanon entered after, followed by Edo who was keeping a safe distance from the furious golden man. Closing the door, Edo took a seat next to Train, who was still trying to harm him with his looks.

Kanon saw this and slammed his chair on the ground. "Heartnet, look at me!"

Train did, but his eyes did not change. He didn't care if he scared his captain, he was beyond caring what these men thought of him anymore.

The older man behind the desk ignored Edo and Train to address Clark. "Officer Clark, you were there. What happened?"

Clark took a second to think about what he would say, then responded quickly. "Officer Heartnet snapped in the car ride over after Officer Edo made a joke."

Train tried to jump from his chair, but was stopped by Clark's hand. "A JOKE?! YOU CALL **THAT** A JOKE?!"

"Heartnet, shut up so I can do my job!" Kanon sighed and rubbed his face. "What did you say, Edo?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I can't remember. It was so small it didn't seem to matter."

Again, Train tried to launch himself at the man, but was restrained again by Clark. "YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID!"

"IF YOU DON'T CALM DOWN I CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM!" Kanon yelled again, standing from his chair, ready to restrain Train himself.

"Like you'd fix the problem anyway! This asshole has gotten away with whatever he wants for the last twenty years and I don't see that changing any time soon!" Train directed his angry words at the captain now, furying blazing wildly at the man behind the desk.

Kanon returned his glare with a powerful one of his own. "You're walking on thin ice, officer…"

Train didn't care, he needed to make this point. " **You** created this! **You** are the reason he acts this way! **You** have **all** let him believe for so long that he is above the law that it's now become the truth!" He took a few violent breaths and continued his speech. "This **bastard** gets to treat civilians like garbage and call me and my partner derogatory words because he knows he can get away with it BECAUSE HE ALWAYS DOES!"

Kanon scowled at the cat. "If he says something slanderous about your personal life, then you need to file a complaint, not attack him…" His words were slow and calculated, making sure Train understood every one of them.

Train rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and then what? He gets a stern talking to? He has to sit through a stupid sensitivity meeting?! The point is he doesn't give a shit because **you** have created a safe environment for such asshole behavior!"

"THAT ENOUGH!" Kanon stood and slammed both his fists on the table, making Train fall silent. The captain glared at the cat for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Heartnet, you're suspended. Starting immediately."

"WHAT?!" Train yelled as he stood from his chair, ripping his arm from Clark's grasp.

"YOU HEARD ME! GET OUT! NOW!"

Train stared at the man for what felt like an eternity. He then turned to Edo whose face was swelling and bleeding, but the cat could see the proud smirk behind the bruises. Clark remained unemotional, but the golden man knew as soon as he left the room, there would be a satisfied grin on his ugly mug.

With one last scowl, Train turned on his heel and left, ignoring the eyes on him as he left the building and headed home.


	21. Dream or Reality?

CW: Yaoi and non-consensual sexual contact

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

**Dream or Reality?**

"Oh my, what a nice surprise this is!"

Creed entered the kitchen to see Train doing the dishes. What was more interesting was his beloved was awake before him, already sweaty and shirtless. Everything the silver man saw was delightful, but still unusual. His cat loved sleeping and since Train hadn't been sleeping very well the last couple months due to stress, Creed assumed he would want to catch up on as much of it as possible.

From the sink, Train shrugged his shoulders. "I've just been so bored."

The silver man sighed and stepped into the kitchen, opening the fridge to pour his cat a glass of milk. "You didn't have to get up so early though. Did you already go for a run?"

He watched as his beloved nodded his head, but didn't respond, just kept scrubbing over the sink. Creed frowned and placed the glass next to Train, who barely seemed to notice it was even there. He could tell his beloved was still upset over the suspension, but was trying to hide it. Creed wasn't mad at him at all. In fact, he was worried. His love's face was still bruised from that night, but otherwise he was physically okay. It was Train's heart he was concerned about.

"Train… Stop kicking yourself. It wasn't your fault. It's also a paid suspension. Why not just try to enjoy this time off and get your head on straight." Creed paused to see if his cat would react, then he continued. "You've been so stressed lately I think this is actually a good thing. I was beginning to worry you'd have to take mental health leave."

"I'm fine, Creed." Was Train's simple response. His words came out more defensive than he intended. He took a deep breath and stopped what he was doing to lean on the counter with his hands. "I'm sorry…"

Creed approached his beloved from behind and wrapped his arms around his waist. He gently placed his chin on Train's shoulder and stared at his cat's lowered head. "Train… You need to relax. And maybe we need to reevaluate even returning after your suspension is over. We can find something else for you to do."

"We can't afford that right now. At least not until you finish school." Train lifted his head to look up at the ceiling, still leaning on the counter.

Creed squeezed his cat a little and nuzzled his face into the side of Train's neck. "Only another year and a half."

The silver man was taking summer, winter, and spring courses to speed up his graduation. School wasn't as much fun with Train or his other friends there. Everyone was so serious and boring and Creed felt like he needed to get out of there as soon as possible. The best thing about the school was he was still top of the class. That would make finding a good job a lot easier once he graduated.

Train nodded. "I can last that much longer. Then we can reevaluate."

Creed smiled into his cat and kissed his neck. "Thank you for supporting me while I go to school."

As he kissed his cat, the silver man smiled inwardly. _Sometimes I still wonder if this is all just a dream._

Never in a million years would Creed have believed that he was not only living with his cat, but Train would be supporting him financially while he went to school. Their relationship had gone so much farther than Creed ever imagined, but it was certainly everything he had dreamed of. After nearly fifteen years of loving Train to the point of near obsession, Creed pictured so much for them, but never thought it would become a reality.

He kissed his love's neck again, sliding his hands up Train's chest and massaging his soft skin. Train started trying to wash the dishes again, but became distracted immediately when Creed started fondling him. He didn't have to be at class for another hour and half, and Creed wanted to make the most of his beloved's time off. They had both been so busy lately, Creed felt like he had to schedule intimate time with his cat.

Creed started nibbling Train's ear when he heard his love moan against his touches. He leaned back into the silver man, removing his hands from the sink to run his wet fingers through Creed's hair. Creed pressed his body a bit harder into Train's back, now kissing his shoulder tenderly, his hands still moving against his beloved's chest.

"How about I help take your mind off everything, Love?" Creed said before he nibbled Train's shoulder then neck.

Train let out a loud gasp when Creed pinched the sensitive skin on his chest. The cat turned around and lifted Creed by the waist, placing him on the counter and knocking his unattended milk over. Creed wrapped his arms around Train's neck as his beloved pressed their lips together, using his legs to pull his cat closer as their tongues danced against one another.

After a few minutes, Train wrapped his arms around Creed's back, lifting him in the air and against his chest. Creed yelped lightly when he was hoisted against his cat, pulling himself closer as he tightened his legs and arms around his beloved. Their lips never parted as Train carried him to the couch, dropping the silver man lightly and laying him down, the cat falling on top of him.

Creed ran one hand against Train's back, the other through his hair and pulled him harder against his body. Train pressed down on top of him, leaning on his elbows and forearms as he kissed his roommate deeply. The cat then used one hand to slip his fingers inside and down his partner's sweat pants and boxers.

The silver man gasped loudly when his love's fingers brushed against his member, thrusting upwards a little into the touch, holding him tighter against his body. Train retreated his hand quick enough to grab a bottle he knew was under the couch, grateful it had rolled under there during this last encounter like this. Once the golden man properly lubricated his hand, he brought it back to his roommate, sliding it back down his pants and along his shaft.

Creed moaned loudly when his cat brought his hand back against him. He felt his body shake with pleasure as Train moved his hand up and down his phallus. When his love moved his thumb along the tip, Creed cried out louder and pulled away from his kiss.

"Oh, Train…" He moaned, holding his cat against his neck, Train in turn kissing his neck passionately and moving his hand faster against his roommate.

Creed ran his nails against Train's back, feeling himself ready to release already as Train gripped a little harder and moved even faster. Each gasp got louder and louder the harder and faster his cat went, Creed's hips moving up into his love's hand, his whole body on fire as his heart beat rapidly against Train's.

Train moved his lips to Creed's ear and nibbled his lobe, moving his hand as fast as he could as Creed shouted his name over and over again. It only took a few more pumps until his partner exploded into his hand then collapsed onto the couch with a weighty sigh. Train fell on top of him, kissing him again on the neck and shoulder, pulling his hand back from Creed's pants.

Creed tried to catch his breath as he ran his fingers along Train's back, enjoying the enchanting shivers his caresses gave his beloved. They remained like that for a few minutes as Creed regained his senses, the room no longer a blur from his climax. Just as his cat was about to get up, Creed stopped him by flipping him over and pinning him to the couch.

The golden man blinked up at him, confused as he thought they were done. It seemed like Creed had other plans in mind.

Creed smiled and leaned forward, close enough that their lips brushed against one another as he spoke. "It's your turn now, my cat…"

Once more their lips were locked together, tongues dancing wildly as Creed slid his hand down his beloved's running shorts and boxers. Before the cat could begin to enjoy himself too much, Creed stopped and ripped Train's shorts down and off his legs, throwing them across the room as he pulled away from his love.

Train watched as his partner smiled seductively and moved his kisses down his chest and stomach, reaching his lower body and kissing his inner thighs gingerly. Train swallowed heavily and spread his legs, allowing Creed more access to his sensitive area.

Creed traced his kisses closer and closer to Train's member, until finally taking the tip into his mouth. He relished his cat's loud gasp at the small gesture, spinning his tongue around the tip several times, feeling his cat's breath begin to pick up. The silver man remained like that for a bit longer, before taking more of his love into his mouth, watching Train's face as he did so.

His cat's eyes were shut tight as he used one hand to grip his chocolate hair roughly, his other digging into the couch cushion as his lips parted slightly to emit quiet gasps and moans. Creed didn't like how quiet his beloved was being, so he decided to move his head up and down a few times, which gave the silver man the results he wanted.

Train cried out loudly and bucked his hips upward into Creed's mouth. This made him gag a little, so Creed placed his hands on Train's hips, preventing him from moving. He eyed his cat a bit annoyed as he moved his head again.

"Sorry…" Train said breathlessly, glancing down at his roommate as Creed moved his head up and down again.

Creed twirled his tongue against Train's shaft, using his mouth to accept his cat's apology. The golden man moaned loudly at the feeling, his body filling with a familiar warmth as Creed worked his head against his member.

The silver man moved his head up and down faster and faster, pivoting his tongue back and forth quickly, pausing for a second to press it against the tip again. Train cried out loudly at his motion and grabbed Creed's head, grasping his silver locks firmly and he helped his partner's head move up and down against him. Creed smiled to himself at his cat's desperation and moved faster, taking his beloved in as much as he could.

Train's breathing picked up even more as Creed moved faster and wrapped his lips tighter around his susceptible skin. He gasped and moaned loudly, motivation Creed to keep going as he picked up his pace even more, darting his tongue back and forth as fast as he could.

"Creed…" Train gasped loudly as he dug his fingers deep into his partner's hair, doing his best not to thrust his hips upwards and earn another scowl from the man giving him this immense pleasure.

Creed moved his head up and down, savoring the taste and sound of his cat the more he worked his mouth against him. Train's body felt ready to explode and when Creed spun his tongue around his shaft one more time, he screamed vehemently and burst into his roommate's mouth.

The silver man swallowed it greedily, needing every bit of Train to become a part of him in order to be whole himself. He cherished every drip that came out of his cat, licking his shaft one more time to make sure he got everything. As he licked his love clean, Creed felt Train twitch and giggled.

With one big swallow and a final lick of his lips, Creed smiled dealy at Train, who was still trying to focus his vision after that intense rendezvous. "Feeling better?"

Train nodded incoherently as his partner crawled up and laid on top of him. The golden man wrapped his arms heavily around Creed's back as his roommate kissed him lovingly on the chest and shoulder. The silver man chuckled again between kisses, then nuzzled his face deep into the side of his cat's neck. "Good."

He felt chills going down his back and Train traced his finger tips along his spine. Smiling deeply, he sighed contentedly and ran his hand along his cat's arm, outlining his muscles and memorizing every curve his beloved had. "Train… Tell me this isn't a dream."

Train blinked down at the man cuddled against his chest. "What?"

Creed's eyes drank his cat's body romantically as he spoke. "All of this. You and me. Tell me I'm not dreaming. Tell me this is real and you're not going anywhere."

The golden man smiled and pulled his partner in closer, kissing the top of his head lovingly, then resting his cheek against his silver hair. "Remember that promise we made during the wedding? I told you, if you don't go anywhere, I won't."

Creed nodded and snuggled closer to his cat, now running his fingers through his chocolate locks adoringly. "I'll never leave you."

Train returned his nod. "Then neither will I."

They remained like that for a little longer until Creed's eyes fell on their clock on the wall. He gasped loudly and stood quickly, leaving a very confused cat on the couch.

"Sorry, Love! I need to get ready to leave. Don't you need to go into the precinct to pick up some of your stuff?" He said as he rushed into the bathroom, leaving the door open so he could hear his cat's response.

Train groaned on the couch and covered his face. "Do I **have** to?"

Creed's voice echoed against the bathroom walls as he turned the water on and stripped down. "Do you really trust your personal belongings staying there with Edo around?"

Train sighed loudly at that thought and sat up. "Guess not…"

Smiling deviously, the golden man jumped into the bathroom and shut the door loudly. Creed jumped when he saw his beloved next to him, removing his clothes as well and jumping into the shower. The silver man huffed angrily.

"Train! I need to leave **now** , you have all day!"

Train laughed from the shower, but made no move to leave. "What is it you're always saying to me? But this will be more fun!"

Creed sighed, but stepped in the shower nonetheless. Despite the fact that they were just intimate with one another, the silver man couldn't help himself when he saw Train and latched back on to his cat. He kissed and caressed Train viciously, pushing him against the wall as his love returned his advances.

As Train pulled Creed against him, the law student moaned loudly at the feel of his strong embrace and whispered into his cat's ear. "Guess I'm just going to be late today…"

* * *

Train stepped into the building and noticed how empty it was. He sighed in relief, glad to have gotten there before it became busy. The cat didn't want to be there while it was full. He glanced at the clock and hurried down the halls, knowing approximately what time people would start to arrive and wanting to move fast before anyone got there.

As he walked towards the locker room, he made a beeline towards the holding cells first. Even though this was one of the reasons he got suspended, his gut was telling him to check it out. His gut was proven right when he saw Dante was still there. Not only that, his pillows and blankets were taken away.

Dante saw Train approach and ran to the bars and clutched them tightly. "Officer Hear-I mean, Train! Have you spoken to my wife? Is she okay?"

Train blinked at the man in confusion and walked up to the cell. "I stopped by a couple days ago and dropped off enough groceries to hopefully last a few weeks. Why are you still here?"

The man sighed in relief and moved back to the bench, sitting down harshly and resting his head in his hands. "We can't make bail and I can't afford a lawyer. My record is making it harder to get me released."

The golden man frowned. "You should get a lawyer appointed to you. When's your hearing?"

Dante shrugged his shoulders. "They haven't been clear…"

Train growled and rubbed his forehead. "Of course they haven't… When was the last time you ate?"

The prisoner lifted his head and thought for a second, before leaning back against the wall and sighing deeply. "I think around four yesterday they gave me half a sandwich."

The golden man growled to himself and walked to the closet. He grabbed an armful of peanuts and chips and slid them between the bars to the man. Dante took them eagerly, grateful to have whatever he could get.

Train went back and took a few bottles of water as well and handed them over. "I can check on your family again later if you'd like."

Dante gave him the most dismal look he could muster and smiled. "That would be great. Thank you…" He paused as he opened a bag of chips. "Do you know anything more about my case?"

Train shook his head which made Dante's chest fall. "Sorry, I was suspended. Even if I was here, I don't think they'd tell me anything."

As the man ate a handful of chips, he looked at Train curiously. It was obvious the prisoner wanted human contact desperately. "What for?"

The cat pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the cell. "For attacking the officer that put you in here."

Dante blinked at the golden man. "Really? Why?"

"Yeah…" Train said as he leaned back in the chair. "A few nights ago he went after an innocent kid and I took the blows for him. Then he used very clear defamatory words against me and my partner and I lost it."

He didn't see the point in lying to the guy. He seemed like a good man and Train had already created a soft spot for his wife and son. Besides that, he was already suspended. What did it matter anymore? Even if he was caught at this point, he didn't care. Train was so over it all he decided to throw caution to the wind and make a new friend in the meantime.

Dante stared at him for a minute, inhaling a bag of chips while starting another as he watched Train. "I'm… So sorry if I caused you any problems."

Train brushed his words aside. "Nah, you're good. It was a long time coming. Not gonna lie, it felt good giving that bastard a good smackdown."

That seemed to calm the damn down as he devoured a bag of peanuts. They shared a moment of silence before the cat decided to break it. "How much is your bail?"

Dante swallowed a big handful of peanuts and responded. "Five thousand."

Train sat up abruptly in his chair, nearly falling out of it. "WHAT?!"

The man nodded solemnly. "Yeah. We'll never be able to afford it. I don't know what to do. This might be it…"

The cat watched as the man sulked deeply, seeming to not realize he was speaking his thoughts out loud. Train watched him mindfully for a couple minutes, then realized something as he stood suddenly.

Dante didn't seem to notice Train's change in demeanor as the cat spoke. "I might have an idea. Don't give up hope yet."

He left the room quickly before the prisoner could respond. Train needed to finish his task here before he could enact his idea. The cat made his way to the locker room, forming a plan in his head as he walked down the hallway brisky.

Once he was there, Train dug through his locker quickly, trying to get out of there before anyone saw him so he could make the call he needed to help Dante and his family. Even though the captain knew he was going to be in to grab some of his things, the golden man knew if he saw Clark or Edo, there would be another fight and he'd have more time tacked on.

_And the additional time might end up being unpaid. While that might give me time to help Dante's family, I can't afford the loss of pay right now._

He was really happy Creed wasn't mad at him at all and even understood why Train reacted the way he did that night. In fact, Creed wanted to find him and do some damage on his own. It was actually hard to talk his partner out of it, but he was able to eventually. There was also a huge load taken off when he found out it was a paid suspension. Apparently, since Train had accused Edo of making derogatory comments, they couldn't punish the cat too harshly.

_It's so stupid that Edo_ _**didn't** _ _get suspended because I had no proof or witnesses to the comments. Clark clammed up real quick when the subject was brought up._

Until Train filed an official complaint against the officer and could prove his claims to be true, Edo would go unpunished. Since Edo hadn't been seen attacking Train and the other officer on duty said the golden cat had received his injuries from a perp, the captain's hands were tied until Train took the steps necessary. It was two against one and the cat knew he couldn't win.

_Creed wants me to file a complaint, but I just don't know what good it'll do. Worse case is he gets a paid vacation then comes back like nothing happened._

While it could also be interpreted that Train was getting a paid vacation, the cat knew when he came back it was going to be worse than it was before. The rest of the staff made it very clear whose side they were going to take. Edo had been there almost as long as Train had been alive. Not to mention he wasn't well liked by anyone there because of the kindness he showed the people that were brought in. They all thought Train made them look bad.

_They're making themselves look bad with their lack of care and power hungry officers. If I wasn't here, I can't imagine how much more damage they would have done to this city._

"Oh! Look who's here. It's Officer Kitty."

Train groaned loudly at the sing-song voice, knowing exactly who it belonged to. He took a deep breath and kept his face in his locker. He promised Creed if he had a run in with the dirty cop, he would keep his cool and not engage. Train tried to plan coming in on a day when he knew Edo wouldn't be at the station, but the older man must have changed shifts with someone.

Seeing the cat was ignoring him, Edo stepped closer and leaned against the lockers next to Train's. "Whatsa matter? Cat got your tongue?" He laughed at his own comment, then corrected himself. "Or should I say, **lawyer** got your tongue?"

Again, Train didn't respond. He put more stuff in a bag he brought, making sure the locker door blocked his view of the man. He could feel Edo getting frustrated, and tried to pick up the pace so he could get out of there and make a very important phone call.

"What? Didn't you have **fun** the other night? I assumed you **love** getting on top of a man and beating him senseless."

Train slammed his locker and made a move to walk away. He was stopped by Edo's coarse hand, but the cat refused to look back at him.

"Where are all those smartass remarks I've become so fond of?" Edo almost purred which made Train shiver in disgust, not sure what was going on now.

Train threw the bag over his shoulder and tried to rip his hand free, finding that task harder than it should have been. Train felt like throwing up when Edos' fingers started to caress his wrist, becoming more confused as he tried to break his arm free.

"Well, at least I can say **I** had fun. That was better than I imagined."

This made Train forget his promise to his boyfriend and turned around to look at the man. His face grew pale at the comment, but his stomach began to churn when he saw the lewd look in the older man's eyes. The golden man began to realize what all the man's harsh comments were covering up and tried to run again, but felt his body being thrust in the air.

The cat was shoved against the lockers roughly and his hands were pinned above his head. Train was too shocked to react in enough time as Edo's face was inches from his own. He tried to lurch his hands free, but Edo was so much bigger than him he couldn't fight against the larger mass. The bastard had even lifted him in the air a little, so his legs were hovering ever so slightly above the ground, giving him no momentum to help.

Train felt himself being slapped brutally across the cheek, followed by a delighted laugh and smirk. The cat had to repress a gag when Edo's foul breath forcefully entered his nostrils. He turned his head away in an attempt to escape the stench, but Edo grabbed his face firmly and yanked his gaze back. The cat shut his eyes harshly as Edo leaned closer, feeling his smirk despite his closed lids.

The older man shoved his lips against Train's so hard the cat thought his jaw was going to break. Edo then bit his lip violently, drawing blood as he pulled back, making the cat yell painfully. When he let go he laughed again and slammed his lips against Train's again, taking advantage of his opened mouth to choke him with his tongue.

Train's mouth hurt so bad and he desperately tried to move away from the larger man, his feet still kicking usually in the air, trying to reach him so badly. He felt like dying when Edo's tongue pressed ferociously against his, the cat trying to escape the officer's slithering snake to no avail. Finally, Train bit down as hard as he could, making Edo pull back and growl quietly. Edo was doing his best to stay silent so no one would come to rescue his golden captive.

The cat was met with another backhand which caused Train to spit out a little bit of blood. Train tried to pull his hands free and even started to scream, but he was slapped again which blurred his vision for a second. The golden man lost his focus at the third slap, but felt the man shoving himself down his throat again which Train tried to get away from.

Before he could bite down again, he felt Edo pull away and move one hand to his neck, the other hand still holding his wrists high in the air. Train tried to scream but couldn't as the older man applied pressure, smiling lustfully as the cat struggled underneath his hand.

Edo moved closer and whispered harshly in his ear. "The more you struggle, the more it thrills me. So maybe if you just gave in like I know you want to, this'll be over sooner, **Kitten**."

Train didn't comply and dug his nails deeply into the hand holding his wrist, feeling the skin break under his force. Train spit in his face and gave him the angriest look he could muster. "Eat shit, bastard!" The cat's voice was only a strained whisper under Edo's grasp, but the older man heard him nonetheless.

However, the officer didn't seem to care and let go of his neck. Before the cat could catch his breath the older man was on his throat again, but this time with his mouth. He bit down harshly which Train couldn't react to as he was desperately sucking oxygen into his airs. The cat barely noticed when the hand that was choking him now fell lower against his body and began messing with his belt. Once he regained his breath and senses, Train panicked when he realized what was happening and tried to swing his hips away.

"NO!" He yelled and was slapped in the face again. That didn't stop his struggles or his screams as he tried to yell again. "GET OFF YOU BA-"

His voice was cut off as Edo shoved a handkerchief in his mouth, muffling his screams. Train felt the hand back against his lower body again, undoing his belt and zipper, slithering quickly down his pants. Train started to kick in the air wildy, digging his nails in deeper as he tried to fight off the unwanted man. The whole time Edo's mouth was still clamped on to his neck, biting and licking Train's fragile flesh, sucking and making the cat scream loudly behind the fabric.

Feeling Train almost slip from his hand, the older officer removed his hand from his pants and hit him again, but this time in the stomach, taking more pleasure in Train's pain. The cat was still sore from their violent encounter a few nights ago, so the blow hurt far more than it normally would have. This appeared to excite Edo even more as his smirk widened and the cat could feel something hard press into his leg when the officer moved closer to him.

"What's wrong? Isn't this what you like, Kitten?" The older man pressed into Train's dangling body more, making the cat wrech harder against his grip and kick his feet in the air.

Edo pushed his legs against Train's legs harder when he did that to stop the smaller man from moving. "I told you struggling only gets me more excited. Today, I am claiming you as my own. By the end of this, you will be **my** property. Whether you like it or not, I will **own** you after this, Kitten."

When he felt the officer slide his hand back down his pants Train screamed louder, hoping someone would hear him behind the gag. He struggled as hard as he could, but to no avail. Then, Edo's hand roughly fondled the area between his legs and Train actually felt himself swallowing his own vomit. The older man grabbed him violently and twisted, making the cat yelp painfully. His cry was muffled by the handkerchief again and he felt Edo then move his hand harshly up and down between his legs, the older man's own member pressing intensely into his leg.

The gag was suddenly removed as Edo crammed his lips against Train's again, his tongue once more entering the cat's unwilling mouth. The golden man made a motion to bite it again, but Edo pulled away before he got the chance, doing this a few more times so he could get what he wanted from the cat without harm and without Train being given a moment to scream. His hand kept groping crudely at his shaft, making Train try to leave his body and find a safe place.

It got worse when he heard Edo moan into his mouth and Train tried to bite him again. The older man pulled away and pressed his lower body harder into Train and the cat could feel he had grown bigger as he rubbed it against Train's thigh. Again, he moaned and Train could tell his struggles only got Edo off more.

The cat tried to scream again, but was stopped by Edo's hands. The man had dropped the gag during his attack so he used his hand to cover his captive's mouth.

"The place seems empty, but I can't risk someone hearing your screams. Do your best to keep quiet, okay, Kitten?"

Train growled loudly and bit his hand forcefully, making Edo loosen his hold on the cat. Now that there was less pressure on his wrists, he was able to free one hand and punched the older man in the jaw, the same spot he hit him in a few nights ago, hoping the area was still tender and would cause him more pain. Seeing that it did and he was dropped to the ground, Train used his knee to assault the man's hard member, eliciting a loud scream from him as he moved away from the now freed cat.

Train rolled away while Edo repressed his moans, still not wanting anyone to hear him as he writhed in pain. The golden man clung to his bag tightly and scrambled to the door quickly, tripping a little, but reaching the exit nonetheless. As he was leaving, he heard the man cursing at him, but making sure his voice was low so as not to alert anyone. Before he left the room, Train noticed a camera had recorded everything.

* * *

Creed was currently jumping off a bus and rushing down the street to his apartment. He was reading frantic messages from his cat, unable to understand the chaotic jumbled words Train was sending him. All the silver man could gather was something happened at the station, but what exactly he couldn't figure out.

_Actually, it sounds like more than one thing happened there, but none of his messages make any sense!_

Once more, Creed scrolled to his beloved's name and tried to call. His texts had stopped a while ago and now Train wasn't answering his phone. The silver man read the texts over and over again, trying to decipher them, but couldn't make sense of them. He knew something to do with Dante and something **else** to do with Edo. Growling, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and ran faster. His last hope was that Train was at their apartment.

As he approached his building he took his keys out before even going up the stairs. Once he reached the top, the silver man unlocked the door and ran into the room.

"Train?!" He yelled and heard no response.

Glancing around the common room, he did not see his cat. He checked the bathroom and the kitchen and still nothing. Last effort was their bedroom, which was also empty. Creed cursed loudly and threw his bags to the ground, pulling out his phone again to try and call Train again. However, he was stopped when he saw a different name pop on his screen. Curious, he answered, wondering why they were calling.

"Ms. Miller?" Creed asked, puzzlement evident in his voice.

He heard the woman sigh in relief. "Creed, good. I'm glad I had the right number. Are you with Train?"

Still confused, Creed sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. "No. And he won't answer his phone. Something's wrong, but I don't know what."

Charlotte nodded over the phone. "Yes. It did. He called asking for Sephiria's number."

Creed blinked. "Sephiria Arks?"

"Yes." He heard Charlotte sitting down. "I haven't heard from her yet, but maybe that's why Train isn't answering for either of us. He sounded so frantic when I called him and hung up so suddenly I was worried. When he didn't answer I decided to try you."

Creed was silent for a minute, trying to take in all her words as well as deal with his own stress. "Why did he want Sephiria's number?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with a man named Dante or Edo." He heard the woman flipping through some papers.

Creed sighed. "Or both based on the messages I was getting…" He put the detective on speaker so he could still hear her as he looked through Train's messages again. Creed stopped on the message that worried him the most, hoping he was misreading it. "Did you get **anything** out of him?"

"The most I was able to get out of him was something about someone still being locked up and someone attacking him." Charlotte had put Creed on speaker phone as well so she could use both hands to go through some files.

"There was a fight a few nights ago between him and this bastard officer named Edo. He's a dirty cop that likes to see how far he can push Train until he falls off the edge. And he finally did it and Train went after him." He fell against the bed, his heart breaking as he read his cat's messages over and over again. "They're relationship has always been contentious, but what he said to Train was unforgivable and I don't blame him for the way he reacted. However, it got him suspended."

The detective was silent while Creed spoke, making sure she listened to each of his words carefully. "What did he say?"

Creed twitched, not wanting to repeat those words. "Let's just say, they were derogatory about our relationship."

Charlotte didn't need him to elaborate. "Train could have a case against him."

Creed nodded. "Yes, except there were no witnesses to confirm what he said. In fact, the other officer who was on duty denied what was said. On top of all this, that same night Train took a beating for a teenager they were harassing for possible possession of a weapon."

"Did they have a weapon?" Charlotte asked immediately.

"No." Creed answered firmly. "Train patted him down, but they didn't believe him and attacked the kid. Train, being the amazing person that he is, protected him with his own body. He took quite a beating before Edo was pulled off by the other officer."

The woman sighed heavily. "Let me guess, the other officer claimed this did not happen."

"Correct. In fact, they both said it was done to him by a perp. All their captain saw was Train attacking him in the parking lot after that conversation I mentioned in the car…" Creed felt like crying now. His cat was going through so much, yet he had no idea where Train was.

The woman could feel his sadness through the phone and tried to comfort him. "I'm sure he's fine, Creed. Like I said, he's most likely talking to Sephiria right now. Did this other officer press charges?"

Creed saw where she was going with her thought process and sat up. "I didn't think of that…" While he understood why his cat did what he did, Creed wouldn't put it past Edo to press charges.

_My love did_ _ **technically**_ _break the law… Maybe he needs a lawyer to get him out of trouble and he's too embarrassed to tell me._

Now he really needed to find Train. He needed to let him know he wasn't mad. Creed saw it as Train defending himself and their relationship. How could he ever be mad at that?

_But what does any of this have to do with Dante…?_

"Ms. Miller? Could you by chance tell where he was when you called him? Did it sound like he was outside or near a train station or anything?" If Creed could narrow down where he might be, he could use his vast knowledge of Train to pinpoint an exact location.

Charlotte thought about their conversation and tried to remember what the background sounded like. "He was definitely outside. I heard people talking, a dog bark, and even some kids screaming and crying. But I didn't hear any cars. If I had to guess, I'd say he was at a park."

Creed smiled. "Thank you. That helps a lot. I need to go find him. I'll call you with an update later."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. There were only three parks in their city they could easily take public transportation to.

_And only one that as a particular tree we both love._

* * *

Creed smiled as he stared up a tree and saw his cat laying on a high branch.

"Train! What are you doing up there?"

His cat didn't sit up, but looked down at his partner and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Just… Thinking…"

Creed saw right through his love's facade and began climbing the tree. He wasn't nearly as good at climbing trees as Train was, but he was athletic enough to get himself a few branches away from Train.

His cat was still a little higher than Creed, but he was able to see his face and note the faraway look his love had. The silver man sat with one leg dangling off the edge leaned against the side of the tree so he could keep Train in his sight.

"Train… Are you okay?" He spoke a bit loud so his cat could hear him, but tried to make sure he sounded concerned since he was pretty sure Train thought Creed was mad at him.

His love didn't answer at first and when he did, he tried to hide the hurt in his voice. "I… Don't know…"

Creed frowned up at him and wished Train would look at him so he could see the loving look in his eyes and know he wasn't mad. "Train, I'm not mad at you."

This made Train turn over and look at him, blinking in confusion. "What? Why would you be mad?"

Creed heard his love's voice was a little slurredand returned his confused look with one of his own. "I thought you were avoiding coming home because you didn't want to tell me Edo was pressing charges. Isn't that why you called Sephiria?"

"What? Hold on, I'm coming down." Train sat up and threw his legs over, then pushed himself to the edge of the branch. He dangled by his arms, swung his body back and forth for momentum and landed a few inches from Creed.

When Train landed he groaned louder than he meant to, which alerted Creed to his current physical state. His cat had a large red mark on his neck and the silver man could clearly see what looked like bite marks. His bottom lip was swollen terribly, which explained his beloved's slight lisp. Instead of Train's lips being their normal light pink shade, they were a darker red, making Creed wonder if they were starting to bruise. Both his cat's cheeks were red and swollen, which only added to Train's slurred speech.

As Creed watched Train sit cross legged in front of him, the silver man tried to smile sincerely to comfort his cat, reaching a hand out and squeezing his leg. Train put his legs down either side of the branch and scooted closer to Creed until he was between his partners legs, leaning his head against the silver man's shoulder. Creed wrapped his arms around his love and placed both his legs on either side of the branch as well, running his fingers through his love's hair and along his back.

"How did you find out I called Sephiria?" He cuddled closer, trying to use Creed's body to help him forget the feel of that other man on him.

"Charlotte called me. She told me you asked for Sephiria's number. We were both really worried about you and since you wouldn't answer either of our calls we did some detective work and I was able to narrow down where you were." Creed held him a little closer, feeling his cat shaking a little.

He let out a sad laugh. "What do you mean Edo pressed charges?" Train wanted to be more mad at this news, but he still felt numb after that incident. He used the last of his strength on his conversation with Sephiria, and now all he wanted to do was fall into his partner and sleep.

"Isn't that what happened? Your texts were so erratic I couldn't make sense of anything. While I understand why you attacked Edo, it is something he can press charges on you for if he wanted to."

Train froze a little. "I… Didn't think of that…" The thought hadn't occurred to him and now Edo had even more of a reason to get back at him. "Hopefully that video will work…"

He didn't realize he spoke his thoughts out loud and Creed looked down at him confused. "What are you talking about, Train? What is going on? Did Edo do something to Dante? Is that why you needed to talk to Sephiria?"

Train sighed deeply and buried himself further into Creed, grabbing his roommate's hand for support as he spoke. "No. Dante is still locked up. I was talking to Sephiria about how to get him out. She's gonna call me back with more details later, but she's confident she can get him out."

Creed frowned at his cat and squeezed his hand gently. "That's good news, isn't it? Why are you so upset?"

All Creed heard for a few minutes were the muffled sounds of the people below. He was going to speak again, but Train finally found his voice. "Edo attacked me."

Creed sighed deeply and rubbed his lower back. "I can tell that just by looking at you. Why didn't you get checked out by a hospital?"

Train shook his head. "No… I can't do that." He shuttered and pushed his face into Creed's neck. "It was… More than just a physical attack…"

Realization suddenly hit Creed and he felt his stomach drop. "Train, was it like… What happened with Izo?"

As hard as Creed tried to forget that night, he couldn't. It was one of the worst nights of his life and he knew he would never be fully over it. The comfort he took in the whole incident was it ended up being the event that resulted in his current relationship with his cat, and he now saw it as a price he was willing to pay. Still, what happened to him was traumatic.

_And now it seems like my cat has experienced that same trauma…_

Train's body shook and Creed could tell he was trying to stop himself from crying. His beloved pressed harder into him, his body tense as he tried to desperately control his emotions. Creed's heart broke and he held his cat as close as he could.

"Train… My cat. I'm so sorry that happened to you." He ran his fingers through his chocolate locks and kissed the top of his head gently. Creed knew Train was probably trying to forget how it felt to have someone force themselves on you, and the silver man was his biggest comfort.

He heard his love choke back another sob and squeezed his hand again tightly. "Train… It's okay. Let it out. It won't help holding it in."

Train remained frozen for a few more seconds, but when he felt his partner's tender hands against his back and hair, clutching his fingers tightly, he couldn't control himself anymore and let out a loud sob. When Creed kissed his head lovingly, his heart exploded and gripped his partner's shirt tightly. He let tears fall from his eyes freely, burying his face as far as he could into Creed's chest and letting himself feel the hopelessness he had experienced a few hours ago.

Creed allowed his shirt to be soaked with his love's tears. Afterall, how many times did Train ruin his clothes for Creed? It was the least he could do. He held his beloved tightly, brushing his hair with his fingers, kissing the top of his head as often as he could. They stayed like that for a while until the silver man felt his cat calm down fully.

Once his love's tears stopped flowing and his chest was no longer shaking, Creed pulled back and smiled at Train. He wiped his cat's tears away with the back of his hand and placed his lips against Train's. The cat jolted at the gestures and pulled away, touching his lips gingerly. When Train realized his lips were bruised and it hurt to kiss Creed he looked like crying again, but the silver man stopped him by pulling against his chest until he stopped sobbing.

When he knew his cat soothed enough, Creed spoke. "Is Sephiria going to help you with that as well?" Train didn't speak, which worried the silver man. "Train… Did you tell Sephiria about Edo, or did you only talk to her about Dante?"

Again, his cat was silent and Creed sighed. He pulled his love away so they were looking at each other and saw Train was avoiding his gaze. "Train…"

His partner still wouldn't look at him, so Creed placed a hand on Train's cheek, guiding him gently to meet his eyes. "Train, my love… I know how you feel, but you need to say something. He needs to be brought to justice, and that won't happen if you don't say anything."

Train looked into his heartfelt blue orbs for a second, then allowed his golden irises to fall. "It's not the same, Creed. Edo's a **cop**. He's protected. The entire precinct would **die** for him. He already has several allegations against him, all of which have either been dropped or ignored."

He knew there was a camera in the room where it happened, but there was a part of him that was scared to say that. Train thought if he mentioned the recorded evidence, that would mean he'd had to watch it and relive the entire moment. The cat wanted to forget about it, and that video would not allow that. It would repeat in his head for the rest of his life, he didn't need to know the digital world could replay it as well.

However, his partner was too smart and pieced together the puzzle Train hadn't even given him. "Did this happen at the station? Aren't there cameras everywhere?" When his cat didn't speak, he frowned. "Train… You know it was recorded, don't you?"

A deep, shaky sigh from his cat was the only answer he needed. Creed sighed as well and kissed him on the forehead, careful to avoid his bruises and pulled him back against his chest to caress his back again. "You can't hide your thoughts from me, Love. I've had my eye on you for too long. I could teach a class on Trainology."

This made his cat laugh, then finally nod his head. "It happened in the locker room. I saw a camera when I ran out of the room."

"Good." Creed said finally. He knew the street camera helped him out during his case. However, he could already tell what his beloved was thinking.

_While there was a video in my case, it didn't record what happened to me. It only got what happened in the streets, not down the alley. I got off lucky with Izo being so easy to discredit. He's right, getting a cop who's been on the force as long as Edo is going to be hard._

He grabbed his cat's hand and squeezed tightly. "Train, I know this is hard and I know the situation is different, but… We need to try. I know the whole force is corrupted, but this guy is **bad** on so many different levels. He can't be allowed such power."

Creed let his love digest his words and he continued his caresses against his back. After a few minutes of silence, Train let out a long, unsteady, burdensome sigh and nodded again. The silver man smiled proudly at his love and kissed him on the head.

"When Sephiria calls back, I want you to tell her everything." When he felt Train tense up again, he held him tighter and gave him another kiss. "Don't worry, Love. I'll be right here with you. This time, we don't need to be questioned separately."

The silver man felt his cat relax and changed his smile from proud to love. He adjusted his back against the tree and let Train lay on him for a while longer. Creed then figured Train might need a change of subject, so he brought up something that was a bit more positive.

"So, Sephiria thinks she can get Dante out?"

Train nodded and Creed could feel him smile a little. "Yeah, she said something about a bond fund her firm has. While she doesn't think she can get all his charges dropped since he's confessed to all of them, she agrees locking him up for such low grade crimes is a terrible use of the system."

"Of course she does. She's awesome." Sephiria was the final push Creed needed to go to law school. He respected the woman almost as much as he respected Train, so he knew when the woman said something would happen, that meant it was true.

They sat in the tree for a while, Creed doing anything he could to keep his cat's mind on the present and not drift back to that horrible moment. When Train's phone rang, Creed felt his cat grow uneasy again and hugged him tightly. The golden man looked at his phone and saw Sephiria's number appear. He swallowed and gripped at his partner's hand nervously. Creed brought Train's eyes to his again and smiled warmly, rubbing his cheek fondly with his thumb.

"Train, you've got this."

Train smiled at his partner and answered the phone. As long as he had Creed there, he knew he could do anything.

* * *

Creed was lying on the couch reading one of his textbooks while Train was apparently setting the kitchen on fire. His cat was just over a week into his two week suspension and was fighting a severe case of boredom. Creed learned that this boredom was dangerous as his beloved offered to cook dinner. As the silver man saw some smoke leaving the kitchen, Creed couldn't help but think take out would be on the table very soon.

He laughed and put his book down. "Are you sure you don't want help?"

"Don't laugh! It's going to be amazing!" Train called from the other room. His sentence was followed quickly by a crashing sound and a yelp.

Creed couldn't help himself and laughed again at his beloved's expense. "Just let me know if you need any help."

The silver student smiled warmly as he watched the other room fondly. Train was still having a hard time dealing with what happened to him, but Sephiria worked her magic with Dante and the man was released a few days ago. This helped his cat immensely since he knew it was just one more thing off his plate.

_However, the whole incident with Edo isn't as good…_

The conversation regarding the officer did not go as well. Sephiria was extremely understanding and helpful, but she did admit going after a cop was going to be hard. Especially a cop who had been around for so long and had earned so much respect in the community.

_Well, in_ _**some** _ _parts of the community. Other parts would love to see him behind bars and never come out. But, of course those parts don't matter to anyone._

On top of that, Train needed to get a rape kit done to see if Edo left any DNA evidence behind. It was extremely difficult to get his cat to agree to the kit **and** agree to press charges, but Creed was able to do it after another long conversation. Train had said over and over again he wasn't raped, but Sephiria explained to him that didn't matter, they needed to get whatever information they could get off his body in order to lock Edo up. His beloved even lost his clothes from that day, which wasn't a big deal, but was just another thing to remind his cat what happened.

_I guess I lucked out in that department. When Izo attacked me, I was knocked unconscious and they couldn't get my permission to do anything like that. By the time I came to, any evidence that might have been there would have been long gone._

However, Sephiria promised she would do her best. Currently, she was trying to get the footage Train was talking about. Edo had several sexual accusations against him, but none of them ever even saw a courtroom. Sephiria had a bit of hope since there was video evidence this time and Train's description of the event was more violent than any of the other cases against the older man. But seeing how hard it was for the woman to even get the tapes pulled, his cat was constantly anxious. Doing things like cooking Creed terribly burnt meals helped keep his mind off it, and the silver man was more than happy to indulge his love.

Creed's thoughts were derailed when he saw even more smoke leave the kitchen, followed by more crashing, and then finally a beeping of their fire alarm. Train came running out of the kitchen to turn it off, and the silver student couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his cat. Train's hair was messier than usual, his clothes were black and covered in red sauce, and he even had some spaghetti tucked behind his ear. Creed didn't know how that happened, but the vision before he was adorable beyond belief and the silver student couldn't help but erupt in laughter.

Train glared at him which made Creed control his laughter and hide behind his book. His cat sighed and threw the noodle he was unintentionally hiding behind him and into the kitchen, then addressed his partner.

"Pizza?"

Creed smiled and nodded. "Sounds great."

Train pulled out his phone to make the call and frowned when he saw a number he didn't recognize. He ignored it and tried to make the call again. Once more, he was interrupted by the same number. Train attempted to hang up on it one more time, but on the third try, he finally decided to answer it.

"Who is this?" He asked, a bit annoyed at whoever kept calling him.

"Officer Heartnet?"

The whispered voice sounded panicked, but he acknowledged it as a woman he met a few weeks ago.

"Mrs. Goto? Are you alright?" Train couldn't help but hear how scared she sounded and his concern for her and her family grew immediately.

The woman was breathing heavily and speaking low, as if she didn't want someone to hear her. Train could hear her voice shaking frantically. "N-no, you said we could call if we felt like we couldn't trust the police, right?"

Train nodded, but realized the woman couldn't hear the gesture over the phone. "Yes, that's right. I'm suspended right now anyway, so I'm not really even a cop right now. What's wrong?"

The woman swallowed. "Yes, Dante told me about your suspension which is also why I felt safe calling. But… We need your help." Train allowed the woman a bit of silence as she calmed herself down to speak. "The police are here tearing our house apart. They said Dante was selling drugs and they're doing a search. The search isn't what concerns me though, I know there are no drugs here."

Train heard Tak crying in the background and Trish paused her sentences as she lifted the child to calm him. The cat could tell it didn't work as the boy's screams had gotten louder. It was loud enough that even Creed heard it and the man set his book down and sat up, looking at his beloved fearfully. The golden man waited as Trish shushed her child and continued.

He heard her close a door before she spoke. "What scares me is this came out of **nowhere** and so soon after Dante was released. That same officer who arrested him the first time is here as well, so I can't help but feel like this isn't a coincidence."

The cat felt his face grow pale at the mention of Edo and looked at Creed gravely. The silver man stood up and approached his love, wrapping a protective arm around him. Feeling his partner's comfort Train took a deep breath and continued his conversation.

"Do they have a warrant?"

Trish tried to shush her child as she spoke to Train. "I asked them and they wouldn't answer. Officer Edo took Dante outside with someone else named Clark I think."

Train felt his stomach drop lower, knowing that man would only make things worse. "I know him too… He's almost as bad as Edo." Just a few days ago, he thought Clark was worse. After his encounter with Edo, he knew he couldn't have been more wrong.

"From what I've seen, you're right." She paused and Tak calmed down a little, then spoke to Train with the most distraught and desperate tone the cat had ever heard. "I'm really scared. You've been to my house, you know we don't have anything. I haven't heard anything from Dante in so long and I don't know what to do. I thought maybe you could come and talk them down. Tell them you know us and maybe they'll go away."

Train sighed and leaned into Creed who was holding him firmly. "I hate to tell you, but they all hate me there. And my relationship with Edo is…"

He couldn't finish his sentence as he felt himself reliving the moment, but was able to shake it off as Creed ran his fingers through his hair. He sighed and finished his thoughts. "Let's just say, they won't listen to me."

Another pause and Train could hear furniture being turned over in the background. Tak started to cry again and he could hear the sobs coming from the woman as well. "Train… Please…"

Hearing the woman using his first name, the cat couldn't resist. He looked at Creed sadly, the silver man having heard the whole conversation. Creed wanted to tell his cat not to go, but that look Train was giving him didn't allow him that luxury. Instead, he nodded and smiled sadly at his beloved, holding him tight against his chest as Train rested his head on his shoulder.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Hang tight until then."

He hung up the phone and embraced Creed as well. The silver man felt ready to cry as he hugged Train tightly. Train rubbed his back adoringly, trying to calm his boyfriend down.

"I'll be back soon, Creed."

The silver student held him tighter before he pulled away. Train kissed him deeply and caressed his cheeks lovingly. When they parted, his cat gave him the trademark cheeky smile that never failed to make Creed weak in the knees, then left quickly.

There was something in the silver man's gut that told him to chase after Train and hold him tight. He watched him go helplessly, repressing the feeling as he smiled and waved goodbye to his love. Creed watched the door for a few more minutes, hoping his cat could come back before he sighed sadly and walked into the kitchen to clean up his beloved's mess. Maybe that would help this sense of dread forming in his heart.

* * *

Train got to Hillwood very quickly since he decided to take a taxi instead of the bus and train like he did before. He gave the driver Trish and Dante's address and got there within ten minutes, promising the driver extra money if he drove fast. He made sure the man knew he was a cop, but left out the fact that he was suspended. The cat threw some money at the driver and jumped out of the car quickly, barely noticing as it pulled away. He was across the street from the house and saw Dante laying on the pavement, face first, at the bottom of the stairs to his apartment.

The golden man walked up to the scene and froze when he locked eyes with Edo. The older man was giving him that same lascivious look from their most recent encounter, but Train could also see the fury he felt at the younger man for pressing charges. They held their gaze for a few minutes, before Clark broke up the precarious reunion with a loud laugh.

"Oh look! Officer Kitty is here! Think you can keep your hands to yourself, Officer Edo?"

Train wasn't surprised Edo had told his friend about the situation. He also wasn't surprised Clark took his side immediately and didn't believe anything Train had to say. Just as he thought, coming here was probably a waste of time.

Edo smirked and licked his lips at the cat, even going so far as to give him a wink. He was clearly already trying to set Train off, and now that he knew why he did that, the golden man knew how to better handle it.

"I think I'll be fine, Officer Clark. Just because Heartnet hates me so much that he feels the need to make wildly false accusations against me, doesn't mean I'll give the cat what he wants and cave into his disgusting desires." Edo said this to Clark, but his eyes never left Train.

The golden man knew he was looking for Train to react in some way, but he chose not to. Instead, he crossed the street quickly to get a better idea of what was happening. He wanted to make a smartass remark to them, but knowing that would only encourage Edo to be more insidious, Train decided to keep it business only.

"Officers, what seems to be the problem here?" His voice was calm and professional, which made both the policemen look at him confused.

Edo's grin became more hungry as he quoted himself from their previous confrontation. "Where are all those smartass remarks I've become so fond of?"

Train suppressed a shiver as he glared darkly at the man. "Answer the question, **officer** …" He kept his voice cold and emotionless, refusing to give the man what he wanted.

Edo's grin faltered as he looked back down at Dante who hadn't said a word since Train entered the conversation. The man was shakin against the pavement, hands cuffed behind his back as Edo and Clark both had their guns pointed at his back.

"We're searching this scumbag's house for illegal narcotics. We got a tip about an hour ago." Clark answered Train firmly. "Why is this any business of yours? Aren't you still suspended?"

Train glared at Clark. "That just makes me a civilian visiting a friend. I came to check in on Trish and her son. They've had a rough couple of days and I wanted to make sure they were okay." The cat then glanced at Edo, who was again eyeing him obscenely.

_How does no one else see this? Scratch that, how did I not see how sick and perverted he was?_

"Officer Edo has pending charges against him. He shouldn't be on duty. Why is he here?" Train kept his deadly glow aimed at Edo, letting him know he wasn't going to take any of his bullshit.

Clark responded for his partner. "We all know those charges are bogus. You're just trying to get back at him for that joke he made a few nights ago. Jeez, get a sense of humor."

Train ignored his comment and addressed Dante. He kneeled on the ground next to him and spoke kindly. "Are you hurt, Mr. Goto?"

Dante was violently vibrating on the ground, but was able to shake his head to Train's question. The cat smiled and looked up at the officers again, who still had their guns pointed at the prone man. "He's cuffed and on the ground. Is it really necessary to have your guns pointed at him as well?"

Clark growled at the cat. "How do we know he or his family aren't armed?"

Train growled in frustration. "You mean the shaking man on the pavement and the pregnant lady with her seven-year-old son?"

"How the hell do you know them, Heartnet? Why do you care so much about his scumbag?" Edo's voice sounded cold, but also curious. Train also thought it was strange he was calling him by his name instead of cat or any other derogatory terms.

Clark laughed. "This pansy has a soft spot for this dirtbag. You know better than anyone else how the cat can get around **certain** people, Edo."

Train found it strange that Edo was not laughing with his friend, but instead looking at Train strangely. "Well, is that what it is, Heartnet? Have you grown fond of this criminal here? What would that lawyer of yours think about that?"

Again, Train didn't understand why Edo was suddenly sounding so…

_Jealous? Is this_ _ **bastard**_ _jealous?! He tries to_ _ **rape**_ _me and now he's_ _ **jealous**_ _and creating stories in his head?!_

Train glowered at Edo, giving him the most heated look he could muster. "They're old friends." Was his simple reply.

Clark scoffed at Train, but his gun remained steady on Dante who was still convulsing on the ground. Edo, on the other hand, put his gun away and stepped away from Clark.

"Clark, keep an eye on Goto. Give me a minute to get rid of Heatnet."

The other officer nodded. Edo walked over to Train and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the man on the ground and towards their car. Train ripped his arm away and refused to move out of the public eye. It was bad enough he had gotten him all the way to their vehicle so quickly, but he wasn't going to let him go any further.

He glared at the older man and whispered harshly. "In what world makes you think I would **ever** go anywhere with **you**?"

The older officer scowled at him, then leaned closer so Train could hear him, but no one else could. "I thought I told you I **owned** you after that day, Kitten. Guess that fact didn't sit well with your **boyfriend** at home?"

Train felt him run his hand subtly down his arm, enough that the cat could feel it, but not so obvious anyone else saw it. The golden man growled loudly and pushed him away. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Each word was said with more venom than the last one and he stepped away from the man. Edo grabbed his wrist just like that day, but Train wouldn't let him get away with it this time. The cat twisted his hand and moved it up, then used his other hand to rip it free and move over to Dante and Clark again. The man on the ground was in no position to see the short encounter and even if Clark did see it, he would deny it. And Train was positive both of their body cams were off by now.

"Freeze, Heartnet!" The angry voice came from behind him, and Train knew Edo was pointing his gun at him.

Train did as he was told and stopped walking, putting his hands up. Clark cocked an eyebrow at his fellow officer, but left his gun on Dante. The cat sighed deeply, feeling Edo stepping towards him.

"Officer Heartnet just threatened me. I need to check him for weapons." Edo said as he took another controlled step towards Train.

Clark nodded, his gun steady on the poor man on the ground, but didn't respond. Train could do nothing as Edo pressed his fingers against his shoulders and arms, patting him down with his unarmed hand. He felt his body tense up as Edo patted his sides and chest, lingering too much for Train's liking on his stomach before he got to his hips and legs. The cat growled as Edo very obviously fondled him in front of Clark, the other officer either not seeing or not caring about what was happening.

Train suppressed a yell when Edo actually grabbed him firmly between the legs, the golden man able to feel the grin on the older man's face as he let his hand rest there far longer than should be permitted in any legitimate pat down. The officer stood and lowered his gun.

"He's clean, but I should still take him in just to be safe." Edo placed a hand on his shoulder which Train jerked firmly out of.

"We both know what you're trying to do and it won't work. Do you have proof I threatened you? Why don't we check your body cam? Or the dash cam on the car? I also don't think it's wise to personally bring in the guy that has sexual assault charges against you." Now it was Train smirking since he knew he had him.

Edo growled and pushed Train towards Clark and Dante, then on his knees. "Fine then. On your knees, Heartnet. I'm not letting you out of my sight until this search is over."

Train glared at Edo as the older man pulled his hair roughly, but again subtly so no one but the cat would notice. The officer smiled down at him, obviously enjoying the golden man's position to him.

The cat ignored him as he looked back at Dante, who was crying quietly. "Mr. Goto, everything will be alright. I won't let them hurt you."

Again, the man didn't respond vocally, but Train could tell by his body movements that he was terrified. The man twitched violently in fear, which set Clark off and Train heard him cock his gun and step closer.

"DON'T MOVE, SCUMBAG!" He yelled loudly as he stepped closer.

Edo's gun was still on Train, but both of them were looking at Clark and Dante now. Dante did his best not to move, but he had no control over his body at this point and twitched again. Clark yelled at him again and took another step forward, now only a few feet away from the trembling man.

Train looked at Clark uneasily. "Officer Clark… Stand down. There's no threat here…"

Clark ignored the cat and kept his eyes on Dante. However, the cat's ears perked when he heard Edo cock his gun behind him and grab his shoulder roughly. Train didn't concern himself with this as he was too concerned with the situation happening between the other two men.

When Dante let out a loud sob, Clark growled and slammed his foot on the prone man's back, making him cry out in pain as he was now pinned to the ground by a large officer. Again, Train tried to speak, but felt Edo hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun.

"Keep your mouth shut, **Kitten**." There was an emphasis on the last word that Train didn't like, but also didn't have the time to care about when Clark leaned over Dante.

The man was mumbling something to himself that Train couldn't hear, but he had a feeling the man was begging for his life. Clark saw him flinch again when he leaned forward, the gravel digging into his stomach and chest which made it impossible to not inadvertently adjust yourself.

This must have been the last straw for Clark as he fired a shot. However, before he could, Train threw himself forward, ripping himself out of Edo's grasp and onto Dante. The officer's bullet flew in the air and hit Train in the shoulder, forcing the cat back and onto the street. Dante was now scrambling away, realizing Clark was trying to shoot him again.

Train realized this as well and was on his feet almost as quickly as he had been knocked onto the ground. Edo made to grab him again, but was too slow as the cat was blocking Clark's shot again, taking another bullet for Dante. The second one hit him in his forearm since the golden man reached out with said arm to stop the shot.

Train rolled on the ground clutching his arm tightly, biting his lip to prevent himself from screaming at the pain. He heard Edo shout at Clark, the cat's ringing ears making it impossible to understand what they were saying. As he rolled on his side, he couldn't stop his cry of pain as he accidentally put pressure on the shoulder that was shot.

He heard Clark yell something else and move away from him. Dante had found a way to his feet and was running to his house. The cuffed man was also screaming, probably something to his wife but again, Train could only hear ringing. The cat's body moved on its own as he jumped up again and in front of Clark, once more taking another shot, this one to his lower back. The force of it spun him around so he was facing the officer and was shot one more time in his stomach.

When Train was shot in the back he suddenly saw Creed's face in front of him. He blinked at the sight, but before he could react the shot to his stomach hit him. As the next shot collided with his stomach, Train's vision flashed once more to his smiling partner, this image a bit more steady which convinced him Creed was actually there. The cat collapsed on the stairs to the apartment loudly, not able to hear whether or not he screamed, but also not caring as he tried to focus his thoughts on what he was seeing.

He tried to keep his eyes open so he could see what was happening, but it was just a blurry mess. When his head hit the concrete step, he saw another flash of Creed, making him say his partner's name. Train heard voices around him, but couldn't decipher who any of them belonged to. He saw a blue light flare quickly and heard someone else fall, but again didn't really care what that meant. The golden man was too busy searching for Creed's voice, absolutely positive the man was here and desperately needing to see him.

Train's golden eyes searched around, calling his partner's name loudly. Or at least he thought he was. Everything was so chaotic at this point, he didn't know what was real and what wasn't. He didn't understand why he was suddenly seeing Creed and all he knew was he wanted to find the man. To protect him from what was going on. His blood was flowing freely from his body, but he was too weak to stop it. Train's head throbbed painfully, yet none of that mattered if Creed was here and in danger.

His eyes shut again which is when he saw Creed's smiling face. Train called to him and opened his eyes, but the vision disappeared and was replaced by the blurred night sky and flashing blue and red lights. Once more, he shut his eyes and saw Creed again. This time they were together at Sven and Eve's wedding, dancing to the last song of the night.

Train felt himself smile at the sight and called out to Creed again, but not as loud this time, his mind trusting that he was with the silver man. The vision changed to the two of them sitting on the couch together as Train started a wrestling match with his partner. Another flash and he and Creed were sitting against their tree together, both of them being younger and more naive. Another and they were in their school's library, studying for Tanaka's class.

The cat was barely aware as he was lifted into the air on something hard. Again, he didn't care as he called for Creed, his body being strapped down and hearing muffled voices around him. None of this mattered as he was now seeing his first kiss with Creed, when they were leaving the hospital and Train realized he had felt something more for the man than he was willing to let admit at the time. Next he was against Creed's chest on a branch, from just a few days ago.

He could vaguely feel himself being wheeled away and into a room as people banaged him up and connected him to some machines. However, at this point he could hear Creed's peaceful voice in his ear, telling him how much he loved Train. The cat said his name again quietly, a tear running down his face as he could have sworn Creed placed his lips against his.

Train reached his hand in the air and it was immediately pushed back down and wrapped up with something. He didn't fight it as he felt Creed's arms around him, hearing his soothing voice once more echo against his skull.

" _Train, I love you."_

"Creed…" He said longingly, another tear falling from his eye.

" _I love you, Train."_

Again, Train tried to reach for him, but his arm was pushed down again. More voices he couldn't hear behind the constant ringing and his need to search for his partner's voice.

There was one more flash of Creed in front of him, Train saying his name one more time before darkness took over.

* * *

Creed burst through the doors of the hospital and ran immediately to the desk. His body was moving on automatic now, everything around him had disappeared except whatever was in front of him the second he received the call about his cat. Once he had Train's location, he ran down the hallway, ignoring any shouts behind him to stop.

When he reached the room, he froze at the sight. Train was unconscious, hooked to too many gadgets to count. His face was covered with an oxygen mask and he looked almost unrecognizable from the bruises and scratches. The hospital staff clearly made an attempt to clean him up, but the priority was keeping him alive and stable.

His blue eyes glanced down at this wrist and saw something that made his blood boil. Rage took over his entire body and he found himself storming down the hallway again, searching for someone to yell at. His search was not in vain as he found two officers he recognized speaking to their captain. Creed approached him quickly, his footsteps so loud it brought all three men's attention to him.

The silver man ran and pushed Edo as hard as he could, but the large man barely moved behind his petite body. Creed didn't care as he tried to push him again, this time Edo ready for the blow and not moving at all. When he tried to hit him again, he felt Clark grab his arm and restrain him. Creed fought against the arm and addressed the man in front of him, knowing he had something to do with all this.

"WHY IS HE CUFFED TO THE BED?!" Creed yelled so loud the entire hallway stopped in their steps to stare.

It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop and no one responded. Creed tried to rip his arm free of Clark's grasp, but to no avail and screamed again.

"ANSWER ME YOU PERVERTED **BASTARD**! WHY IS TRAIN **CUFFED** TO THE BED!?"

His question was answered not by Edo, but by the captain. "Mr. Diskence, it's standard procedure. He attacked Edo and Clark unprovoked and almost prevented them from taking in a drug dealer. He's needed for questioning when he wakes up."

Creed's fury was turned to the captain. He wasn't aware of how deadly his look was, but it was certainly enough to actually get a reaction out of the seasoned officer. Kanon's eyes widened a little and he even took a subtle defensive stance.

"QUESTIONING?! You need to **question** him?! Train was shot **four times** by this **monster** and you need to question **him**?!" Creed's violent voice was deafeningly venomous. It was hard to respond to such rage.

"Actually, I'm the one who shot him." Clark responded while still holding him back from attacking anyone.

Creed tried to kick him from his position, but found it to be impossible. "WELL FUCK YOU TOO THEN! YOU'RE ALL **GARBAGE**! **FILTH!** "

"Trust me, Clark and Edo will be under investigation as well." Kanon said quickly, hoping to calm the man down.

Creed growled like a rapid wolf, still trying to rip himself free and attack someone. Each word he spat with malice, hoping he could kill the men with his words. "Then please… Explain to me why **my partner** is handcuffed to a bed, barely hanging on to life, while these two are standing comfortably with cups of coffee, BOTH OF THEM FREE AS A BIRD?!"

As he spoke each word became louder than the next until he was shouting again. No one around him was willing to tell him to be quiet, for fear of retaliation. Clark and Edo did not look at him, but Edo did finger his cup of coffee uneasily, as if he wanted to drop it and deny he ever had it. Kanon did not know how to respond to that. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but words did not come to him.

Creed growled again, his fire never subsiding as he spoke through gritted teeth. "I assume your silence means you've realized your complete and utter incompetence and idiocy and you're going to release Train and arrest these two behemoths?!"

There was silence for a second until Kanon's phone rang. Creed's eyes never left him as he answered it, watching the captain's demeanor fall to that of a beaten dog. His face became white and he rubbed his eyes painfully.

"Understood. We'll do that right now." He hung up and looked at Edo. "That was Heartnet's lawyer. Go uncuff him."

Edo let a flash of anger appear on his face. "His **lawyer**? Isn't this guy-" He thumbed at Creed. "-His lawyer?"

Creed was able to free himself from Clark's grasp as he had become distracted by the news as well and launched himself at Edo. The silver man knew what he really meant by that and wasn't going to take it. He pushed him again and stomped on his foot, causing the older man to drop his cup and muffle a scream. Clark pulled him away again quickly, before things got out of hand. Kanon stepped between the two of them and addressed the fuming law student.

"Mr. Diskence, I recommend you control your emotions before you make things worse. Ms. Arks said she is on her way, but it will take several hours for her to get here. Edo will uncuff your partner right now and then head to the station immediately with Clark for questioning."

Both officers gawked at him, but Kanon put a hand up to stop them from speaking. The captain gave them a warning look that told them to keep their mouths shut.

Creed didn't acknowledge what he said, but took a deep breath and ripped his arm away from Clark again. He stormed back to Train's room before Edo could move. "There's no way in hell that **shithead** will **ever** be in the same room again with Train. Trust that there will be a restraining order in the **very** near future!"

The silver man was now grateful he had called Sephiria on the way over instead of waiting to hear what had happened first. He knew it was going to be bad and wanted to get on top of the legal portion before it was too late.

He heard Edo walk a safe distance behind him and pull out his keys. Creed stepped in the room first and ran next to his cat. He grabbed Train's hand gently, using his other one to run his fingers through his hair. As he leaned over to kiss his cat on the forehead, he heard the officer enter and stand at the door. Creed growled when the older man didn't make a move towards his partner and turned to glare at him again.

"Well? Uncuff him." Creed controlled his emotions enough not to use the stream of curses his head was yelling at him, but he couldn't contain the rage he still felt.

Edo moved quickly to the cat and uncuffed him nimbly. Creed didn't give him the chance to do anything else as he pushed the large man away and stood between him and his beloved. He grasped Train's hand again, his other still caressing his hair and face as he continued to glare fire at the officer.

"Now **get out**. Expect a restraining order by tomorrow." They already spoke to Sephiria about that when Train was first attacked, but now he knew it was definitely going to be necessary.

Edo stayed for just a second longer before heading out the door without another word. Creed's face changed when he looked at Train, now fully able to take his whole cat in. He was happy to see his cat was breathing on his own. That meant the oxygen machine was only to help him, not breathe for him. Creed felt his eyes fill with tears as he looked his love up and down. He could see where he had been shot. The blood had seeped through the bandages a little, and Creed felt his heart drop to the floor.

_Four shots… They shot at him four times…_

The words rang in his head like a bad song. When he got the call his whole world fell apart. Not only was his cat shot, but he was shot **four times**. One shot was enough to kill a person if it hit the right spot, Creed didn't know how Train was still alive after four. Especially seeing one of those shots was in his stomach and knowing the other was in his back.

He eyed his cat's stomach tediously, glad that the bullet hadn't hit any spots that would have outright killed him, but anxious to see what the outcome of this wound would be. The good news was that none of his internal organs had been hit and none of the bullets were stuck inside of him. The bad news was he lost a lot of blood and hit his head pretty hard. Not only that, even though there was no bullet debris inside of him and his insides were intact, he still was hit fairly close to vital organs which meant the tissues surrounding it was in danger. While he was stable, his love wasn't out of the woods yet.

Creed stood and traced the bandage elegantly, making sure not to touch the wound as he felt a tear drip down his cheek. Creed didn't bother to wipe it away as his eyes fell back on his beloved's face.

Train's eyes were shut and Creed yearned to see those golden orbs twinkle with life. He wanted to see his love's playfulness run though his eyes and see that cheeky grin again. Creed would have given anything to see his cat wake up and give the silver man a noogie and tell him he was okay, but his heart told him that wouldn't happen.

Creed let his head fall on Train's chest and sobbed loudly. He clutched at Train's hospital robe desperately, as if his touch would bring his cat back to him. The silver student wailed freely against his love, praying his tears would wake Train up.

"Please… Let this be a dream…"

A week ago he was praying this wasn't a dream, and now he wanted it to be fake more than anything in the world.

His ears perked when the machine beeped a little quicker, as if something was happening to Train. Creed looked at the machine and then at Train, his heart racing when he saw a flash of gold. He saw it again and sat up, moving himself over to Train's face and putting his hand on either side of his face.

"Train! Are you awake?!" Creed's voice cracked with tears and hope as he gazed expectantly at his cat.

Train looked at Creed, barely seeing the man, not sure if he was even real or if this was all still just a dream or his life flashing before his eyes. He had seen the silver man appear in front of his face non-stop since the last two bullets made contact, and Train wasn't sure if any of this was authentic. However, the last few hours made him realize something and he needed to tell Creed, just in case this was real.

Without regard to his current state, Train used his bandage arm to take the oxygen mask off his face to address his partner. "Creed…" He said, having a hard time even saying that without the help of the machine.

Creed panicked and tried to take the mask from his cat. "Train, no! Stop it, you need that to help you breathe."

Train didn't let his roommate have it. He needed to tell him something before it was too late. "Creed… No, stop…"

The silver man frowned at his cat and heard someone walking down the hallway behind him. Not wanting to fight his love, but knowing he needed the machine back on his face, Creed decided to run after whoever it was to ask for help. He also wanted to let them know his cat was awake and they needed to check on him.

Train watched as Creed ran off and tried to grab him. "Creed, wait…" He tried to yell it, but his voice was too weak. He didn't have the air or stamina to speak any higher than a whisper, so his partner didn't hear him call his name again.

He reached out again when he saw the silver man's back disappear into the hallway. Train felt a tear fall down his face as his vision dimmed again, his body starting to give up as he struggled to say what he needed to say to Creed.

"Creed… I love you…"

Train's arm fell to the side of the bed, dangling uselessly as his words went unheard. As darkness took over, he shut his eyes and succumbed to the void. The last thing he heard was a long, sustained beep. Then... Utter nothingness.


	22. A Voice

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters

* * *

**A Voice**

_Train opened and closed his eyes again, hoping that would fix the problem. It didn't, he still only saw total darkness. He tried rubbing his eyes, but still nothing. The cat put his hands out in front of him and grasped at the air, feeling nothing but emptiness. Then, he took a careful step forward. Seeing his foot made contact with something solid, he took another step, praying that maybe if he moved the darkness would go away. After taking several more steps and still seeing only darkness, he stopped and looked around._

" _Hello? Anyone there?" He shouted, putting both hands on either side of his face to make his voice louder. Again, nothing. He wasn't sure why, but his body felt like lead._

_Then, he heard a voice. His ears perked and his heart raced, recognizing who it belonged to. The cat ran in the directions of the sound as fast as he could, keeping his hands out in front of him so as not to bump into anything. Every motion he made felt like he was moving through water, which made running quite difficult._

" _Creed!" He shouted, hoping his partner would hear him._

_A quiet whisper was his only reply. "Train? Train, I love you."_

_Train ran faster in the direction of the voice, his legs trembling under the heavy weight of the air. "Creed? Where are you?!" He knew that he was calling to Creed, but the cat didn't hear anything come out._

_Again the voice said his name, but was still nothing more than a whisper. "I love you, Train."_

_The golden man turned, thinking he might have been going in the wrong direction and that's why Creed's voice didn't get any louder. He tried to call the silver man again. "Creed, I can't find you. It's too dark!"_

_Again he knew he said the words, but it's as if the heavy air stopped his voice from exiting his lips._

" _Train…" The volume of Creed's voice still did not change as Train turned once again and ran in a different direction. "My cat… My love… Please come back to me..."_

_Train felt himself getting tired. The darkness did not relent no matter what he did and he could not find Creed. He tried to call his roommate again, but still nothing came out of his mouth. The cat was starting to panic now and felt like if he didn't find Creed he would be lost forever._

" _I love you…"_

_Creed's voice echoed in the empty room one more time before Train fell on his knees in exhaustion. His muscles ached and his lungs were burning and he couldn't run anymore. The thickness of the air weighed him down too much and his body couldn't keep up anymore. He tried to call Creed again, but nothing came out. Train fell to his hands and slammed his fist on the ground, this anger gesture's sound also being absorbed by the crevasse of the room._

_As Train kneeled on the ground, he felt a tear fall from his eye. Then, a flash of light and he looked up to see Creed standing there. He was wearing their school uniform, holding a lot of books and smiling awkwardly at Train, just like when they first started hanging out. Train reached out to him, but the image disappeared._

_He saw another light out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head to see another image of Creed. This time he was wearing a hospital gown and hooked to a machine. Again, he smiled at Train, the same loving look in his eyes that scared Train away so many times. This time, however, the cat did not look away. He smiled back and again tried to reach out to him, only to have the vision vanish once more when he touched it._

_Another flash to his other side showed an image of Creed wearing a tux, the same tux they both wore to Sven and Eve's wedding. Train appeared in his arms and the two of them danced to the same song as that night. The cat tried to say his partner's name again, but nothing came out. While he could hear the music swell romantically throughout the abyss, his voice was halted each time he tried to acknowledge Creed._

_The image of both of them evaporated as Creed's voice came from right in front of him. The silver man was kneeling on the ground in front of him, gripping his chin gently, caressing his cheek and smiling passionately. Train smiled back and leaned into his partner's hand. Creed leaned forward and pressed his lips against Train's lovingly, but before the golden man could respond, the silver man's figure disappeared again, leaving Train grasping at empty, dark air._

_His arm fell on the ground limply, another tear staining his cheek as he rested his head on the cold, black floor. Train called Creed again, but found his voice was still gone. He was ready to give up and allow the void to take him._

" _Train."_

_This was a new voice, but still one that he recognized. Train turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw Saya standing behind him. She was wearing her trademark kimono and grinning happily at the forlorn cat. The golden man took a big breath of air and cleared his throat, hearing that his voice was back. However, when he tried to call Creed again, his voice was silenced._

_Confused, he touched his throat and gave his female friend a confused look. Her kind smile never faded as she kneeled next to Train, holding her hand out for him to take._

" _It's okay, Train. Creed is fine. But, he can't hear you."_

_Train blinked at the girl and took her hand, allowing the woman to help him stand. "Why?"_

_Saya patted Train's shoulder. "I think you know why…"_

_The cat blinked at her, his vision slightly blurred as her brightness harshly contrasted the darkness of the room. He thought for a second at what she said until he remembered what happened._

" _I was shot." Saya nodded, but didn't speak, so Train continued. "I'm… In the hospital?"_

_Again, she nodded, but did not speak. He was quiet for a second and remembered what happened next. "Did I…?"_

_The girl smiled sadly, giving Train the answer to the question he didn't need to ask. Train was silent again as he thought, then remembered the last thing he said to Creed. His heart raced and he gave his friend a panicked look. "Creed… Did he?"_

" _He didn't hear you, no." Saya answered, knowing what the cat was going to say before he said it. She frowned when she saw the golden man sigh and run his fingers through his hair. "Is it true?"_

_Train blinked at her again. "I…" His voice was a whisper now, not knowing how to answer the young woman before him. "I… Why are you here?"_

_Saya laughed at him, knowing he was trying to avoid the question. "I've always kind of been your conscious, haven't I? I'm here to help."_

" _Help with what?" Train asked, his voice shaking as he spoke._

_Another smile from the girl. "I think you know."_

_The cat was again avoiding the issue at hand and asked another question. "Why can't I talk to Creed, but I can talk to you?"_

_Saya sighed in annoyance. "Again, I think you know why. Stop changing the subject and answer the question: Is it true?"_

_Train stared at her, now understanding he wasn't actually looking at her or even talking to her. This was a conversation he was having with himself, but his brain decided to give him someone more responsible to talk to._

_Still not getting an answer, Saya slapped him on the back of the head, making the cat yell out and clutch himself angrily._

" _What was that for?!" He yelled as he rubbed his hair._

" _Because you're so stupid! What do you think is going to happen if you admit it? Are you going to catch on fire? Are you going to_ _ **die**_ _? I don't think that's something you should be scared of anymore!"_

_Her angry words echoed in the dark room and Train let them sink in. After a moment, he shook his head and responded. "No. I'm not scared of what will happen to_ _ **me**_ _. I'm scared of what will happen to_ _ **him**_ …"

_She squeezed his shoulder tightly, giving him an understanding smile. "I know… I just needed to hear you say that. But…" Saya put her hands on either side of his face so he wouldn't look away when she spoke. "How does it feel now knowing he doesn't know?"_

_He gazed at her teal eyes, his burning with salty tears. "It… Sucks…"_

_Saya nodded and patted his cheek. "It does, doesn't it? So, how do you think it would feel reversed? What if you were in Creed's spot right now? Crying over his body, knowing he couldn't hear anything you said? Knowing that he might_ _ **never**_ _hear it because you were too stubborn to say it?"_

_Train growled and pushed her hand away. "What does it matter if I say it or not?"_

_Saya put her hands on her hips. "I think I just used that logic against you earlier. What does it matter if you_ _**do** _ _say it? And don't say he'll disappear or something will happen to him. Not everyone you love will go away."_

_Train was quiet again and did not meet her eyes as he spoke. "...You did."_

_She watched him, knowing what he was thinking already and able to come out victorious every time. "Did you really_ _**love** _ _me, or did you just care a lot about me?"_

_He thought about her words and nodded. "I… Did love you… But not how I love-"_

_Train stopped himself from finishing that sentence, realizing how easy it was for him to almost say it. He looked at Saya who smiled and punched his chin playfully. "Why not try it out? It's just us."_

_He wouldn't look at her again, knowing if he did he would give in. "They're just words…"_

" _Those words are powerful enough to bring down empires, destroy people, decimate cities and countries. Those words have created the most beautiful works of art and caused the downfall of the most influential figures. They can forge wondrous, unbroken bonds between people… Or they can shatter an innocent, delicate man…"_

_Train didn't need her to say who she was talking about to know. He sighed deeply, feeling a warmth in his chest he had been running from for too long. The golden man did not look at her when he spoke, but he smiled to himself wistfully._

" _I love Creed."_

_Saya's voice dropped a few octaves, matching the very man he spoke about. "Why don't you say it to me."_

_Train's eyes rose to crystal blue ones. He had spent what seemed like hours searching for him and now he was standing right in front of him, smiling how he always did. This time, Train did not feel like running at all. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his waist tightly and pulled him closer, happy to see he was not disappearing this time. Creed returned the embrace and wrapped his arms around Train's neck, his eyes shining with hope and adoration._

_Train smiled, now knowing exactly how to return the look as his partner's eyes this time._

" _I love you, Creed."_

_He watched as the silver man in his arms smiled, and Train pressed his lips against Creed. Train pulled back and ran his fingers through Creed's hair, relieved that he could actually feel the man in his arms._

" _I love you…" He said it again, kissing the man one more time before darkness took over again._

* * *

Creed heard a deafening, sustained beep in his ears as he watched the doctors move around his cat. He stepped out to find someone to help him love, but came back and saw Train was dead. The heart monitor's screen was showing a straight line across it and Creed heard a long beep accompanying it. That was the same beep he had stuck in his head, unable to hear anything else over it.

He was shoved out of the way by a medical team and they immediately began working on his partner. However, Creed could not move. His whole world crumbled away from him as he watched Train's lifeless body laying on the bed. His cat's arm fell down the side of the bed, dangling needlessly as his golden eyes pried into Creed's soul. The golden orbs Creed loved so dearly were inert and dull, the carefree, playful nature of his cat gone and replaced with nothingness. As long as he lived, Creed knew he would never be rid of that sight. The sight of his beloved's dead eyes were forever ingrained in his brain.

His hearing suddenly came back when the heart monitor's sound changed from that atrocious, continuous beep to a sequence of beeps, signaling his beloved had returned to them. Creed collapsed against the doorway and took a big breath of air, now realizing he had stopped breathing when he found Train dead.

The silver man tried to approach his love, but was stopped by a nurse. She gave him a calm look, but it did nothing to help his state of mine. While the machines told his ears his beloved was back, his eyes needed to see it for themselves. The nurse said something Creed did not hear and he pushed her aside, running to grab his love's hand quickly.

No one stopped him as he leaned over Train, running his fingers through his hair earnestly, hoping to see his eyes open again.

"Train? Train, are you there? Did you come back to me?!" Creed's words were frantic and fast, needing to hear his love's voice to sooth his heart and soul.

Train did not respond physically or vocally. His heart monitor and slight movement of his chest showed Creed that while he was alive, he was not conscious. The silver man felt a hand squeeze his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"He's alive, Mr. Diskence, but… He's slipped into a coma. While he's stable now, we're going to have to monitor him closely and hope that he wakes up. Right now, it's all up to him."

Creed only heard the important parts of what he said. He knew Train was alive and knew they had to wait. There wasn't anything they could do except keep him comfortable. Creed pressed his forehead against Train's and wept openly, not caring what anyone else in the room thought.

The doctor walked towards the door and spoke to someone, but Creed did not hear it. As the room cleared a nurse stayed behind to rub the silver man's back reassuringly, but Creed barely felt it. She soon realized her efforts were in vain and left the room, closing the door behind her quietly and allowing the man his privacy. There was no reaching him right now and nothing they could do for Train at the moment.

For Creed, it didn't matter if he was alone or not. Even if someone entered the room, he wouldn't notice. All he cared about was his cat. All he could see or hear was his cat. If the building caught on fire or lightning struck next to him, he wouldn't notice. The rest of the world fell away as he stared at his beloved and cried loudly.

"Train?" He said as he placed one of his hands on his love's cheek, his forehead still rested on top of Train's. "Train, I love you."

With every word he said, a part of his body went numb. It was as if he was subconsciously beginning to check out. Neither his body nor his mind could handle seeing Train like this.

Still, he held on to hope. He hoped that maybe if he spoke to his cat, he would hear him and wake up. "I love you, Train."

Still nothing, and Creed felt him lose another part of his body, no longer able to feel anything from the waist down.

He let his head fall next to Train's head, sobbing into his shoulder as his hand caressed his partner's cheek. "Train…"

His voice shook with a violent sob as he pressed his face further into the unconscious man as emptiness creeped up his spine and to his chest.

"My cat… My love…" He used his other hand to squeeze Train's firmly. "Please come back to me…"

Creed lifted his head and stared at his cat's face again, trying to will his golden love's eyes open with his gaze. It didn't work and Creed sobbed again, throwing himself on top of Train as his heart shattered to pieces, barely feeling the pain as the numbness moved around his back and to his chest.

"I love you…"

With his last bit of strength, he sat up again and ran his fingers through Train's hair. The oxygen mask was covering Train's lips, so he pressed his pale ones against the plastic gently, praying his cat would feel them through the device. As he did this, he felt his arms go weak, no longer able to caress the man he loved so much.

He pulled away and collapsed back on Train. His eyes went dim and his face grew emotionless. Unable to process these intense feelings anymore, Creed allowed the numbness to take him.

It had been two and a half weeks since Train slipped into a coma. Two and a half weeks Creed hadn't heard his beloved's voice, seen his beloved's eyes, or held his beloved in his arms. Unlike when Creed was in the hospital, Train was too unstable for the silver man to really be anywhere near him let alone climb in the bed with him. He had to content himself with a chair pulled as close to his cat's bed as possible and an occasional hand squeeze or light kiss.

_It's back to Train being so close yet so far…_

His eyes gazed longingly at his love, holding his hand and caressing it gently.

_I should never have left him..._

Creed had managed to find a way to blame himself. He thought if he never left the room, maybe Train wouldn't have almost died and slipped into a coma. The numbness that had taken over had not gone away. Creed learned to deal with it at this point. It had become a part of his everyday life. He barely ate and when he did, it was the nurses forcing him to, yet the food had no taste. The silver man was pretty much eating enough to keep himself alive, just in case Train woke up.

_But if he doesn't wake up…_

Creed tried not to think about that, but at the same time, that's all he could think about. There was a moment where he was able to gather his senses together enough to email his professors and explain the situation to them. They were understanding and told Creed they would send him any make up work once this was all over. However, Creed couldn't help but think if it mattered if Train didn't wake up.

_What's the point? What's the point of any of this if he doesn't wake up? What do I do if he doesn't wake up…_

The silver man ran that scenario through his head a million times and he couldn't find the answer. His life was so intertwined with Train's he didn't even know what it would look like without him anymore. Even before their lives became one Creed had revolved his whole world around his cat. Before they became an item, Creed knew he couldn't live without Train, but now that he actually had the golden man…

… _I'm pretty sure I'll just disappear without him. It's not even that I can't live without him… I don't think I could physically_ _ **exist**_ _without him._

Creed began to feel himself vanish at the thought. However, since he was still numb, he had to look at his hands to make sure he was still there. Seeing that his body was still palpably present, he took hold of Train's hand again, unable to even feel the warmth of his love.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Creed had shed all the tears that were humanly possible. The silver man was sure the only water left in his body was there to keep him alive. His eyes were no longer blue, they had turned a bright shade of red and the bags under them were big enough to hold an entire family's luggage. The amount of sleep he had accumulated wasn't enough for a single night's sleep let alone two and a half weeks. Creed wasn't even sure how he could tell the passing of time anymore. Every day bled into the next. The sun and moon had no meaning to him.

Looking at his cat, he squeezed his hand tighter, hoping he would feel something, anything. He hoped Train would return his gesture and bring the life back into him, or that **his** squeezing would bring life back to his beloved. They were both floating through nothingness, desperately looking for each other.

"Train… Can you hear me?"

The doctors told him that talking might help wake him up. They said if he heard a familiar voice, it might trigger something in the cat's brain and bring him back. That was all Creed needed to hear to talk endlessly to his beloved. He would do anything to get Train back and if that something was talking to his cat as if he could hear him, he would talk until his throat was sore. The silver student found himself reminiscing about their relationship and he spoke of the past as if there wasn't going to be a future.

Creed smiled at a memory. Or at least he thought he was smiling. He wasn't able to feel his lips.

"Train… Do you remember that time you fell asleep in Kenta's class and he threw a book at you?" The silver man tried to laugh, but again did not feel the motion. "I was so mad at the time I nearly threw it back at him."

He looked at Train's face, hoping to see some form of recognition. An eye twitch, a finger flick, anything to show him his cat was still in there and could hear him.

He sighed sadly, realizing his reactions at that time were stupid. The injury would have been nothing compared to now. "Looking back… It feels like it was so long ago… and so silly compared to now..."

The silver man felt embarrassed for himself. If he knew then what he knows now, he wouldn't have gotten so upset. Seeing his beloved did not react, Creed tried another story.

"What about when you found out you had to learn to drive to become a police officer? I read you the manual every night because you were so worried about failing the written portion."

Creed traced his love's fingers with his own, imagining they were gripping a steering wheel tightly. "And the first time you got behind the wheel of a car… Your face was so white I thought you were going to pass out. And the whole time you were just worried about getting into an accident and hurting me."

He stopped his memory, now thinking about how his cat's job was the reason Train was in the hospital. It was such a cute memory, how could it feel so tainted now?

This memory triggered another one. One that hopefully wouldn't become sour due to the current state of his beloved. "Or how about that time you got off at the wrong stop and nearly missed school? You texted me in such a panic I thought you had been in an accident and left scho-"

He stopped that story as well. Seeing his cat lying in a hospital bed made it seem inappropriate. "-That seems so insignificant now…"

Creed thought for a minute, trying to find a happier memory to replace this one. His mind wandered until he found one. "How about when that dog followed you home? You gave him some food and he wouldn't leave you alone. He followed you to our apartment every day for a week!"

Again, he smiled, not sure if he was actually moving his lips. "I told you he was just like me. Hopelessly devoted to an adorable cat that didn't know what to do with him…" Creed ran a hand through his beloved's hair. "But, eventually we figured it out and found him a home. Just like you did with me… You brought my home out of pity, but kept me out of lo-"

Creed felt a sharp pain in his heart before he finished the last sentence, realizing Train hadn't ever actually said those words.

_Will… Will I ever get to hear them from my beloved?_

He traced his hand down Train's cheek, caressing his soft skin lovingly, trying to concentrate on his cat to forget the pain in his heart. He didn't understand why that was the only place he could still feel something.

"You eventually took me home with you, and our lives merged together in a beautiful bond."

He settled on this thought, seeing that it hurt less than the truth. Creed knew Train cared about him deeply and would do anything to make him happy, but those three words seemed to be out of his cat's reach. It was painful, but he still wouldn't have changed anything about their lives.

Creed brought his beloved's hand to his lips and kissed it gently, unaware if he actually hit his mark due to his emotional paralysis. He watched his cat a little longer, rubbing his hair and face fondly, wishing they could go back to their apartment as if this had never happened.

As he watched his cat, another memory came to him. One that he decided to lose himself in as he retold it to Train. "Do you remember when we first moved in together? Not the very first time, but when we moved into our current apartment after my housing scholarship ended?"

" _Train, be careful! Why do you need to carry so many at once?!"_

_Creed was eyeing his cat worriedly as the golden man walked up the stairs carrying three large boxes. "Why don't you use the elevator?"_

_Train shrugged his shoulders behind the tall boxes. "It's only two flights of stairs. Besides, I can move faster than a machine. Plus, this is making up for not being able to train today."_

_Creed sighed and approached his love as he walked up to the door of their new apartment. They needed to move out of their old apartment rather quickly and find a new one close enough to Creed's campus and Train's job. They were lucky to find one on such short notice that met their requirements and had affordable rent._

" _That's not an excuse to get yourself hurt." Creed said as he took a box from Train. He nearly dropped it when he first picked it up, not realizing how heavy it actually was. "Train?! Are you seriously carrying_ _ **three**_ _of these?!"_

_Train nodded and put the other boxes down in the middle of the floor. He took a big breath and stretched his arms, turning on his heels to head out to get some more. Creed watched his love go and smiled. He looked around their new apartment which was currently filled with boxes holding their lives. The silver man sighed blissfully, knowing that soon they would be filling these empty rooms with their hearts._

_Creed hugged himself happily as he walked around the apartment, imagining what it would look like once they were settled in. It wasn't big, but as long as he had Train, he would live in a box on the street. When he got to the bedroom, he stopped and stared at the bed. He smiled and approached it, letting his mind wander to less innocent thoughts of his cat. While they still hadn't gone all the way, they had done enough to make Creed unbelievably satisfied._

_He was too lost in his daydream to hear Train walk in the room, put down a box, and hit him with a pillow he had retrieved from said box. Creed was close enough to the bed that he fell on it. The silver man turned around quickly and was greeted by a grinning cat armed with a pillow._

_Creed was lost in his cheeky smile and didn't notice his cat was hitting him again with a pillow. The silver man sputtered when the soft weapon made contact with his face._

" _Train! No fair! I'm armless!" Creed said as he tried to crawl away on the vacant bed._

_He made it about halfway before Train grabbed his feet and pulled him back so they were both in the center. The golden man wrapped his legs around Creed's waist, smiling cheekily as he smacked the silver man with his fluffy battle-axe._

_His cat laughed evilly. "Then consider this revenge!"_

_Creed blocked his face and laughed with his love. "Revenge for what?"_

_Train stopped and blinked at his partner. "Huh… I don't actually know. But I'm sure you did something that warrants it!"_

_To emphasize his point, he hit Creed again as the silver man laughed wildly at his cat. After a few more attacks, Creed was able to grab the pillow and yank it away. Train wasn't ready for it, so he lost his weapon quickly and tried to scramble away. In his desperation, Creed was able to get the upper hand and grab his beloved's arm and flip him over so he was now stadling Train's waist._

_Just as Creed was about to hit him, Train gave him puppy dog eyes, which melted the silver man's heart and he couldn't continue his actions. He dropped the pillow to the side and made a move to kiss his beloved, but Train had other plans. The cat grabbed the pillow again and pulled Creed next to him. Train hit him in the side of the head when the silver student fell, earning a yelp from his roommate and a happy giggle._

" _I concede! I concede! What do you want from me?" Creed made a time out motion with his hand as Train stopped attacking him._

_The cat thought about that for a minute, then put the pillow on the bed, using it as it had been intended. "How about a break? I just brought in the last of the boxes and I'm beat."_

_Creed smiled and nodded, curling up next to his cat. "I think that can be arranged."_

_Train returned his smile and pulled Creed against his chest. The silver man sighed gleefully and snuggled as close as he could. He nuzzled his face deep into his love's shoulder, taking in a deep breath to fill his senses with his beloved. Creed looked up at Train and caressed his cheek lovingly, watching as his partner leaned into the gesture and smiled._

" _You're sweaty, Train." Creed commented, but that didn't stop him from continuing his adoring motion, using his thumb to massage his supple skin delicately._

_Train shrugged his shoulders and ran his fingers up Creed's shirt and against his skin, tickling his muscles gently. "Then why are you getting your fingers all slimy with it?"_

_Creed giggled and kissed his neck. "Because I don't care."_

" _Then shut up." Train said as he ran his other hand through Creed's hair. He kissed his partner's silver locks lightly, then rested his cheek on top of his head._

_The silver student let out a happy squee and cuddled further into his love. He wrapped his arms around Train's shoulders, gripping him tightly, basking in the glory of his love's warmth. When Train kissed his head again, Creed's smile widened and he held his love a little longer._

_After a few minutes, Train stopped and pulled Creed's face to his own. They stared into each other's eyes for a blissful second, allowing themselves to get lost for a moment as Creed moved forward and pressed his lips against Train's. The cat returned the gesture and held his roommate closer, sliding his hands further up his partner's shirt as Creed moved his hands from Train's shoulders to his hair, tangling his fingers in his beloved's chocolate locks._

_They broke apart a few times, only to embrace the same way again immediately after. Creed was in heaven with each kiss, still trying to convince himself this was real. He was still expecting to wake up at any moment._

_Once they split for the last time, Creed kept his hands on the back of Train's head so their lips still touched when he spoke. He smiled, his lips moving at his cat's as he did so. "I can't believe this is real… Can you pinch me?"_

_When Train did he yelped quietly and frowned at his cat. Train smiled and Creed's heart flew, instantly forgetting what he was upset about. "You said to do it."_

_Creed kissed him again gently, then nuzzled his nose with his own lovingly. "I love you…"_

_Train didn't respond to that, but he did give him a quick kiss, hoping that would be enough. It was and Creed returned the motion, making it last longer than his cat originally intended._

" _This is everything I've wanted for so long… So many of my dreams have come true. I didn't think I ever deserved to be this happy…" Creed's voice was a little sad as he spoke, knowing there was still a part of him that thought this would all end any day now._

_He felt his love's hand ran through his hair again, then against his cheek. "I can't say I'm not surprised either. I didn't expect to ever get this close to anyone. Nor did I think I deserved to be happy either…"_

_Creed purred into his cat's hand and kissed it. He looked back into his golden eyes, allowing himself to disappear in their exquisite chasm. "I guess we just needed to find each other to learn what happiness felt like." He kissed Train again. "And to learn maybe we deserved it…"_

_Again, he suppressed the feeling that this would all fall apart soon and got lost in the moment. Creed wouldn't allow his inner-saboteur to win this time. He was with his cat in their new home and he wouldn't let anything ruin that. However, a bit of his subconscious still came out as he clung a little tighter to Train._

" _Train… Please don't lose me."_

_His cat's response was to tighten his hold on Creed as well, then kissed him on the head one more time. Feeling that was enough of an answer the silver man smiled and sighed blissfully. He shut his eyes and caressed his cat, thinking of their future and letting himself fall into the daydream._

Creed was sprung rudely from his memory when Train's phone vibrated loudly on the floor. The medical staff gave him all of his cat's belongings the night he was brought to hospital. Creed dropped his love's clothes to the ground and left them there. He totally forgot about them until now as they moved slightly against the hard floor.

Dully, the silver student dug into his beloved's pocket and pulled out his phone. He groaned at the name and slapped himself on the head, still not feeling anything as he did so. Creed answered it and tried to sound at least a little positive, but knew he was failing miserably.

"Sven?" He said monotone, his numbness clearly being heard through his voice.

"Creed? What's wrong? Where's Train? I've been trying to reach him for a few days now and he hasn't answered. We were worried." His voice spoke volumes of concern which made Creed feel guilty.

"Sven… I'm so sorry I didn't reach out to you sooner. Train…" He looked at his cat forlornly, not sure if he could say the words out loud to another person. "Train… He… He was shot four times… H-he's…" His choice cracked with a sob, taking a deep breath before he finished his sentence. "He's… In a coma…"

Silence rained on the other end and Creed heard Sven walking into another room, probably getting a certain blonde haired beauty. He heard a few whispers, then Sven's voice again. "Creed, you're on speaker phone. Eve is here."

The girl's voice spoke quietly, as if talking any louder would injury Creed. "Creed? Are you okay?"

Creed growled a little at her question. "Why does that matter?"

He heard the girl sigh and try a different approach. "Was he shot on duty?"

"No. He was suspended. He was shot by a cop." Creed didn't feel like elaborating. Sustaining this much of a conversation took too much energy and he was already tired.

His two friends asked a few more questions that Creed did not hear. He was trying to go back to the moment he and Train shared so long ago in their apartment, and that was impossible as long as he was on the phone. The silver man sighed languidly and put them on speaker as well.

"Listen, if you want to come see him I'm texting you the hospital we're at along with visiting hours. I'm here all the time, so you can text me to let me know when you want to come."

He heard the couple say a few more things, but didn't care and hung up. Creed really couldn't concentrate any longer to keep the conversation going. They had all the information they needed and if the two really wanted to see Train, they could now do so.

_I know I should have told them sooner, but again, what does it matter?_

He looked at Train and let out another loud sob, not feeling his chest convulse at the movement.

_Nothing matters… Without Train, nothing matters._

To Creed, this was true. Without his cat, the air felt suffocating, food tasted bitter… Water was sour and colors were dull. The stars in the sky did not twinkle at all and clouds were all the shape of his cat. His stomach hurt all the time, yet he couldn't eat. His skin was dry and his heart was hollow. Creed felt like his entire soul was carved out and tossed aside like yesterday's trash.

He tried to cry to alleviate the numbness, but nothing came out. However, like the rest of the world, it didn't matter. His feelings didn't matter, his thoughts didn't matter, his tears didn't matter. Nothing mattered because nothing would bring his cat back to him.

"Train… Please wake up…" He caressed his cat again one more time, then fell against his chest, careful to avoid his wounds as he did so.

Creed's eyes closed as his body fell asleep, dreaming of his love and the life they shared together.

* * *

"Creed? Creed, are you okay?"

The silver man jolted up again his cat, blinking out the fogginess from his eyes. He looked out the window and noticed the sun had set. Glancing at the clock, he looked back at Train, as if falling asleep for four hours would have been the miracle cure to wake his beloved up. Creed sighed sadly and fell back against Train, his eyes turning to see who had woken him up.

"Oh… Hey, Sven… Eve…"

The married couple was standing behind him, looking down at him wretchedly. Creed did not care as he clutched at his cat unknowingly, as if the tighter he held on the more hope there was of Train opening his eyes. He didn't say anything else and turned his gaze back to his beloved, once more praying he could open his eyes just by staring at him wistfully.

Sven and Eve shared a look then turned back to their silver friend. Creed was a mess. He looked like he hadn't showered in days. His hair was a mess, his clothes were wrinkled and dirty, his skin pale and lifeless. The law student's eyes had turned from an elegant shade of blue to a dull red, signaling he had not been sleeping well and when he was awake he was most likely crying.

Eve walked to the other side of Train's bed to get a better look at her feline friend. The girl frowned sadly and patted his head with her hand. "How… Long has he been out?"

Creed barely heard what she was saying and wouldn't look at her. "Two and a half weeks."

Eve was thrown off by both the emotionless tone Creed used and the length of time. As a medical student, she knew the long term effects being in a coma could be. However, there was always the chance he woke up perfectly fine. Or… He could never wake up, or be in this state for years.

She chose not to tell Creed any of this. He was smart so he most likely already knew and reminding him would only make matters worse. "Creed… What happened?"

Her silver friend did not answer. She watched him for a few minutes as Sven sighed and moved next to him, placing a kind hand on his shoulder. "Silver Dollar, we're here to help. You need to talk to us."

Creed did not feel Sven's hand on his shoulder therefore he did not react. He didn't answer Eve's question, but he did respond. "There's nothing you can do… Nothing I can do..." The silver student reached up and cupped Train's chin sadly. "I can't feel anything…"

The last words Creed did not mean to say out loud and hadn't even really heard himself say them. He also did not notice the look his friends shared as Eve continued petting the comatose cat. They allowed a bit of silence as they watched Creed, until Eve decided to try again.

"Creed… What happened?" Her voice was quiet as she asked her question again, hoping to not set off her silver friend again. It seemed like everything gave him a bad reaction right now, so she needed to be careful.

"He was shot. I thought I told you that." Again they were both thrown off by how monotone, yet harsh he was. Either he couldn't hear himself or he didn't care. Judging by his current physical state, it was probably a combination of both.

Eve sighed again and stepped away from Train. She was looking for his chart somewhere to see if she could figure out on her own what happened. Sven watched as his wife searched the room and pulled up a chair next to Creed, hoping there was something he could say to get his friend out of this funk.

"Creed, I know there's nothing we can do to help Train, but we can help **you.** " Sven's voice was calm and sympathetic, his hand remaining on Creed's shoulder which he gave a slight squeeze. His friend still had no reaction which made him frown.

Creed's eyes never left his beloved, not wanting to miss a second in case Train woke up. "I don't matter… Nothing matters…"

Sven watched as Creed let out a quiet sob then looked over at his wife. She had found the cat's chart and judging by the look on her face, Train's situation wasn't very good. Eve glanced at Train, then Creed, then let her eyes settle on Sven, confirming with her look what her husband had already read on her face. She placed the chart down and went back to her position next to Train, resuming her previous gestures. A small tear fell from her eye, which did not make Sven feel any better about the whole situation.

He tried to talk to Creed again, this time avoiding the subject of Train comatose state since Eve could just tell him later. "He's going to be okay, Creed. This is Train we're talking about. He always bounces back."

"He has no control over this situation, Sven." His voice was still deadpan, something the green haired man thought he was just going to have to accept.

Eve tried this time, thinking maybe he would respond better to her. After all these years, she was still seen as the 'Little Princess' of the group. "Patients come out of comas all the time. You can't just give up hope. Train wouldn't want that."

Creed actually managed a scoff this time, but still did not look at Eve as he spoke. If Train woke up, he wanted to see it. "How could you possibly know what he wants? He can't say or do anything."

Again, Sven and Eve shared a look and sighed. The green haired man leaned back in his chair, choosing to give Creed some space since clearly his words didn't do anything to help the man. The room was quiet for a while, no one knowing what to say. The silence was broken as Creed's phone rang. It was the only thing that seemed to get any reaction out of the silver man. He answered it quickly, but still kept his eyes on Train.

"Ms. Arks? Do you have an update?" His voice was will detached from emotions, but at least he didn't sound as harsh this time.

"Yes. But first, how is Train?" Sephiria's voice sounded concerned, which was a change of pace for the serious woman.

Creed ran his fingers through his love's hair as he answered the lawyer. "The same."

It seemed like the law student wasn't capable of speaking more than a few words at a time, so Sephiria answered his question. "I was able to get a temporary restraining order against Officer Edo. However, it was Officer Clark that shot him, and it's harder to get one against him because they are both claiming it was some kind of self defense. They won't elaborate right now, but I'll get it out of them. I got both Mr. and Mrs. Goto's statement since they saw everything, but considering it's the word of two police officers versus a man with a record and his wife, I don't know see much hope in getting one against Clark."

Creed figured that much, but even though Clark had shot Train, it was Edo he was more concerned about. "Why is it only temporary?"

Sephiria sighed tiredly. "Because Mr. Heartnet is unconscious and can't sign any legal documents. I was only able to get this much because I'm his attorney and was able to pull some strings."

The silver man paused and thought for a second. "Can't I sign it on his behalf?"

"No." Sephiria answered as if she was ready for the question. "Because your relationship with Train is not legally binding, you can't make calls for him. He also does not have a will that states you can make decisions for him, so there isn't really much you can do."

Creed let his head fall on Train's chest, his other hand gripping his love's shoulder tightly. "So you're saying because we aren't married and Train has no other legal documents putting me in charge of his decisions, I'm useless."

Another sigh from the woman. "I didn't say you were useless, Creed. If you'd like, I can have a marriage certificate ready for him to sign if he wakes up that you can both sign in case he falls under again. It would be quicker than a will, but I can work on that as well."

Creed watched Train's face for a little. This wasn't how he wanted to do it, but it sounded like there wasn't much of a choice at this point. He also wanted to stop talking about a will, so he agreed to whatever the woman said. "Yes. Please have both prepared."

He didn't know if Train would agree to sign a marriage certificate, but it was worth a shot just in case he woke up. That way Creed would at least be able to do something to help. To make decisions on his cat's behalf.

"I'll have that ready for you as soon as possible." Creed heard her write something down, most likely a note to herself to do that later. "I do have good news…"

She waited to see if Creed would respond. Upon hearing he didn't, she continued. "We got the tape of Edo attacking Train in the locker room. The angle was perfect, we could see everything. It was very obviously an unwanted attack from Edo that Train fought hard to get away from. Added to that, we found Edo's DNA from the rape kit. There were particles under his nails and on his clothes and other parts of his body. With all this, we might not even need his testimony for court."

Creed was silent. He knew this was good news, but he didn't like hearing about the attack. Even though he wasn't there, Train had repeated in such detail so many times what happened to so many different people and the silver man felt like he was there. Creed found himself playing the moments over and over again, as if he didn't want his beloved to be alone in his suffering.

Sephiria sighed again when Creed didn't acknowledge her statement. "Edo and Clark have also been suspended from the force until this whole thing is sorted out. While Train's suspension ended a few weeks ago, I was able to get them to place him on medical leave, so he will still be getting paid while he is out of commission."

"Suspended? That's it? Even after you pulled the video that's the best we could get?" His voice was harsh again, but the woman was not affected by this. She had dealt with far worse.

"Going after police officers is very difficult, I'm sure you know this. That fact that I was able to get them both removed from the force even temporarily is a huge deal. You need to see the positive side if we're going to get anywhere in this case."

Creed didn't respond again, just stared at his beloved morosely. They both remained silent as they got lost in their own thoughts. Creed couldn't stop praying his cat would wake up at any moment and Sephiria was trying to think about her next words carefully.

"We have a court date set."

The silver man blinked at the phone. "What? How?" He didn't understand how she was able to get that when Train was still comatose.

"We have enough evidence and witnesses to move forward without Train for now. While it would be great to have Train wake up and make a statement, we can get around that because of his current state. We got Mr. and Mrs. Goto to agree to testify against Edo and Clark about that night. There's also one more person we can get on the stand…"

She stopped and let Creed take in all that information, giving the man a moment to ask any questions he might have. Seeing he said nothing, she continued her statement. "Creed… Train told you **everything** that happened in that precinct. He told you everything that happened that day when he was attacked in the locker room. If you can tell Train's story, that could help our case against Clark shooting him while Edo watched."

Creed watched his cat, thinking about the woman's words. He glanced around the room to see Sven and Eve's reaction. Eve had stepped out of the room and Sven was watching him closely. He could tell the green man heard their entire conversation. He tried to give Creed an encouraging smile, but it did not affect the silver man how he had hoped. Nothing affected Creed the same way anymore.

"Sephiria… I would do anything to help Train. But right now, his number one priority is to wake up. I can't leave him. He'll need to see me when that happens." His eyes glistened with tears a little, surprised that he was still capable of forming any. "I would move mountains if that meant he would come back to me. I would throw myself off a clif if it meant he would open his eyes for even a minute, but I can't leave him. This entire case won't matter if he doesn't wake up…"

Sephiria let out a long sorrowful sigh. "Please… Think about it. I need to go. I'll call you again soon."

She hung up the phone and Creed left his arm fall on top of Train. Sven squeezed his shoulder again, but the silver man still did not feel it. "Creed... Are you sure that was a good idea? I think you know this the best way to help Train. He's not going anywhere and it doesn't do anyone any good to have you sit here and wait for him to wake up."

Creed responded in a quiet whisper. "You don't understand…"

"I know I don't, Creed. But you know it's true. If Train's lawyer has found a way for you to lock up the people that did this to him, I think you should do it. I think that's what Train would want." Sven's voice was stern, but kind. He wanted to let his friend know that he cared, but also that he meant business.

Creed didn't respond again and Sven sighed. He didn't know what more he could say to get through Creed's skull. If the silver man wouldn't even look at them, what good was trying to talk to him?

"Maybe if you won't listen to us, you'll listen to her." Eve walked back into the room with her phone facing out. Apparently she had stepped out to video chat someone that might be able to get through to Creed.

Saya frowned at the room, able to see Train laying on the bed and Creed laying on top of him. "Creed…" Her voice was sad and small, not sure what she could say, but knowing she had to say something.

Eve stepped into the room and approached Creed. The silver man did not take the phone from her, and she sighed and moved Sven out of the chair so she could sit next to him. "Creed… Come on… It's Saya. She wants to talk to you."

Creed didn't turn around. "I don't want to talk to her."

Saya felt a stab of pain when Creed said that. It was the first time in years she actually felt some anger directed at her from the man. Despite his reaction to her presence, she tried again.

"Creed, Eve told me everything and I heard the last of what Sven said. Why don't you want to tell Train's story?"

The silver never looked at her, barely even registering she was on the phone. To him, it was as if all of them were quiet voices in his head that he acknowledged every so often. They didn't matter, only Train mattered. "Because it doesn't matter if Train doesn't wake up…"

"And what if he does?" Saya's voice took on a bit of a harsher tone as she spoke. "Train would want you to be his voice. You're the only one that can. You know Train would do anything to see these people locked up. Train wou-"

"-You don't know what Train would want!" Creed's voice was loud and he finally turned to address the group. The look in his eyes startled everyone. They had never seen such heated fury coming from the man and it was frightening. "None of you know! Not even me! We can never know because Train isn't with us!"

His voice cracked and he turned back to his beloved, sobbing violently as he fell back on his cat's chest. "Train can't speak… Train can't move… He probably doesn't even know we're in the room right now. And even if he does wake up, he might not be the same… He's been in a coma long enough that he might have forgotten everything. He might have forgotten…"

_Me…_

Creed finished the thought in his head, unable to speak that possibility out loud. He grasped Train's hospital gown tightly, his dehydrated eyes somehow finding a way to create more liquid. The room fell silent except for Creed's whimpers. Even though he did not finish his sentence, the rest of them knew what he was going to say.

"Creed… Train won't forget you." Saya's voice turned compassionate again. "He would never forget you. He never **could** forget you…"

"You don't know that… No one can say that…" Creed stayed on Train's chest, trying to feel his beloved's body desperately.

"Creed…" Saya's voice trailed off, thinking carefully of what she could say to comfort the man. "I know he wouldn't-he couldn't-forget you…"

"What do you know about Train?" His voice turned cold again and his tears stopped. The silver man did not turn to look at her as he spoke, but she could tell that look was back in his eyes. " **You** left him…"

The way he said it was more of an accusation than a fact. Yes, Saya did move, but it wasn't in the way Creed was saying. However, they knew correcting him would only make things worse. After a few minutes, Eve walked out of the room with her phone, taking Saya with her. Sven watched Creed for a few more minutes, then stepped out after his wife and friend. It seemed like Creed would be better off being alone right now, and he wanted to find out more information about what happened to Train from Eve. Chances were she also spoke to some doctors while she was gone, so this was the best time to learn more about his feline friend.

Creed didn't notice when they left. He pretty much didn't know they were ever there in the first place. His eyes were still stained with tears as he caressed his love's cheek again. "Don't worry, Love… **I'll** never leave you. Even if you never wake up, I'll stay here forever. I won't leave you alone…"

"Mommy, is that Train?"

The silver man did not recognize the voice so he actually turned to check it out. His red eyes were greeted with a little boy holding a toy robot in one hand, grabbing a pregnant woman's arm with his other. The woman nodded and smiled sadly at Creed, then stepped into the room tentatively.

"I'm… So sorry for interrupting your time with him… But Tak really wanted to see him. I tried to explain he was in no condition to have visitors right now, but my son is stubborn. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

Creed stared at them, trying to place a name with the woman he knew was important to Train's situation. "Trish, is it?" He asked quietly.

She nodded and approached him while Tak walked over to Train. "Yes. I assume you're Creed? Train's boyfriend?"

The silver man looked at the hand she was offering and took it limply. After one second, he let go and turned back to Train. However, he was now distracted by the little boy with a toy. Tak stood on the other side of Train's bed, looking at him strangely as he clutched the robot tightly in his arm.

Tak did not notice Creed's stare. He was too concerned about Train. "I… I picked a name for my robot…"

Train didn't respond. The only sound in the room was that of the heart monitor beeping quietly. Eve and Sven had returned as well, but they stayed at the door and watched. This was the first time they saw Creed look at something other than Train without an angry glare. Neither of them knew who this boy was, but he seemed to be getting a different reaction out of Creed.

Tak swallowed and held the robot up to Train, as if he could take it. "His name is Train. I called him that because he's strong and brave like you." He paused and let out a quiet sob, his arms shaking a little as he held the toy between him and Train. "You… saved my daddy… Thanks to you, my daddy is safe and home. And he comes home every day to play with me. He couldn't do that if it wasn't for you."

Creed heard Trish let out a sob as well. She sighed shakily to regain her composure, but the silver man could tell that was hard for her to do.

"You're… a hero. You're **my** hero." Tak paused again, then placed the robot in Train's arms. "Since you protected my daddy, I want him to protect you." He nodded proudly at his toy, smiling as he watched the unconscious cat's arm rest against the plastic toy. "My mommy said you might not wake up, but I know that's not true. You're the strongest person I know. I know you'll wake up and when you do, the Robot Train will be here to protect you."

Tak took a deep breath and walked away. He saw Creed was staring at him so he approached the silver man, who was blinking at him in confusion. "Are you Train's wife?"

Creed stared at him for a few more seconds before he smiled and giggled a little. Sven and Eve looked at each other briefly, shocked to see their friend react at all, let alone laugh.

The silver man messed with the child's hair a little. "Yes. Yes I am." He remembered Train telling him that story and remembered saying it was pretty much true. While it may not be legally legitimate right now, the idea of it was technically accurate.

Tak put his hand out for Creed to shake. "I'm Tak. It's nice to meet you."

Creed took his hand and shook it much more firmly than he did his mother. He could actually feel himself smiling right now. "Train… Told me you like to read…"

The boy's eyes lit up and he pulled out a book from a small backpack he was carrying. "Yes! I'm reading this one right now. Can I read a little to you?"

Creed glanced at his mother who nodded, tears clearly present in her eyes. Tak beamed at them both and crawled into the silver man's lap, not bothering to ask for permission. He opened the book and looked at Train, then Creed.

"I'm gonna read loud enough that he can hear me too, okay?"

Creed nodded. "Okay… I think he would like that…"

As Tak read, Sven and Eve smiled. The green haired man leaned against the door with the blonde in his arms. Trish sat in another chair and watched her son reach a man who everyone thought was lost. Other than the beeping of the monitor and the boy's narrative voice, the room was silent. Creed watched the boy read and his cat sleep, finally feeling something return to him. He was able to feel his face once again, and he knew he was smiling.

"The end!" Tak said as he shut the book loudly. He looked up at Creed for feedback and saw him smiling. The boy smiled in return and jumped off his lap. "I know it's sad, but he'll wake up. We need him to protect us all. He wouldn't leave us like this!"

Tak approached his mother and put his hand out for her to take. She took it and looked at Creed. "When he wakes up, be sure to give us a call. Train has our number."

Creed nodded, remembering the night she called Train to come help. "You'll be the first people I call."

The woman smiled and left the room, Tak waving goodbye as their footsteps echoed down the hallway. Sven and Eve stayed at the door for a minute more, waiting for Creed to do something. The silver man watched his beloved during this time, beginning to feel his arms and legs again, now realizing how sore and dirty he was. He watched Train's shut eyes for a minute more, before he stood and kissed his cat on the forehead and turned towards the door.

"Sven, Eve? Can you watch Train for a minute? I need to call Sephiria back." He frowned and sniffed the air, scowling when he discovered he smelled terrible. "Actually, make that several minutes. I need to shower."

Creed passed his friends as he pulled out his phone and dial Sephiria's number. He didn't bother to wait for their response, knowing they were going to do as he asked without question. The silver man felt a bit of strength return to him, and he wanted to take advantage of it.

As he walked down the hallway he heard the phone click on the other end.

"Creed?" Sephiria's voice was confused, seeing as she had just gotten off the phone with him.

"Ms. Arks, when is the court date? I'm going to tell Train's story."

_I'm going to be my cat's voice until his comes back._

* * *

Creed frowned as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. He was currently standing in a bathroom at the courthouse, getting ready for his turn on the stand. It was really hard leaving his cat, but he felt better knowing Sven and Eve would be there in case he woke up. They were staying in a hotel nearby while Creed went to trial. Eve was able to get her professors to agree to let her complete work online and Sven was able to get a leave of absence from work. While Creed really wanted to stay by his beloved in case he woke up, he knew that this was the best thing for him.

_I'm going to be Train's voice, but I still won't break my promise to him. I won't leave him. I'll be back as soon as this is over._

Everyone was telling him this is what Train would have wanted but he didn't hear them. For whatever reason, when he saw that little boy look at Train in admiration, call the cat his hero, and give him a toy robot to protect him, it spoke volumes to Creed. It was a reminder of who Train was and why he did what he did. It also reminded Creed of himself when he was a kid.

This was the kick the silver man needed to get his ass in gear and actually do something about his love's situation. It was hard knowing it had been another week since Train was conscious, but Creed couldn't think about that now. He went over what his testimony to Sephiria would be every day since he told her he would do it. He was currently going over it again in the mirror.

_That's not the part I'm worried about. I'm worried about the cross examination…_

Being in law school, he knew how difficult those conversations could get. He couldn't imagine what kind of lawyer the police force had hired. They probably had better resources than Train and Creed, so he was preparing for the worst. He was just happy Sephiria was fighting for them pro-bono again. It seemed the two young men had wormed their way into her heart. She definitely had a soft spot for them.

_It also helps that Charlotte has our back. She probably had a helping hand in all this._

It also helped that Creed was top in his class at law school and was able to give Sephiria some ideas for her tactics. While they were discussing how today was going to go, Creed was able to pry into the rest of the trial to see what her approach was. She had a good plan, but the gifted man was able to give her a few ideas. He could tell she was very impressed by his knowledge and actually found herself talking to him about a few other cases she was having trouble with. It was nice to get his mind off of his situation for a bit, and Sephiria was shocked at how good he was. She even noted how surprised she was that he was just in law school and not a full fledged lawyer. The silver man needed to hear that. After everything that happened recently, he needed that boost of confidence to help get him through today.

Creed took a deep breath and gripped his wrist tightly. There was a piece of fabric wrapped around his pale skin and the silver man fingered it lightly. Train made him get rid of that bandage he used to wear years ago, claiming it was weird and he didn't need it anymore. Creed smiled at the memory, knowing it was a sweet way of his love telling him that he finally had Train. He and his cat had come a long way since he first received that grace from Train, and now that he had gotten more than he ever imagined from his love, it wasn't hard to let go.

However, today was going to be a hard day. To get him through it, he needed something from his cat. Neither of them owned any jewelry or any other kind of momentos, so Creed had to improvise with a piece of Train's clothing. He didn't know what else to do, so he took one of his beloved's old shirts and ripped a piece off to wrap around his wrist. It didn't matter if Train was mad or not. Creed didn't even think he'd notice it was gone and now the silver man had something he could touch that would remind him of why he was doing this.

There was a knock at the door that brought Creed's attention from his reflection to the room next to him. Whoever it was didn't wait for an answer and popped their head in. The bailiff saw the silver student and addressed him "You're up. Are you ready?"

Creed took a big breath in and pushed the butterflies he felt in his stomach aside. He turned and nodded at the man. "I'm ready."

He followed him into the hallway and to the courtroom. The trial was already under way. Creed was the last witness to be called. Creed thought it was fitting. He was sitting in for Train anyway, it felt right to have him go last.

As he stepped in he saw Dante taking his seat next to his wife and son. The family smiled thoughtfully at him, a gesture he returned then quickly put away. He needed to make sure Edo and Clark knew he meant business. He wasn't going to get distracted by anything today.

He could feel the men's eyes on him, trying to read Creed's thoughts as he passed them and took his spot on the stand. As he was sweared in, he glanced at the men for only a minute, giving them a devious smile that was too fast for anyone to notice. However, he knew the officers did, because they both glared at him for a second, then changed their expression back to professional ones, hoping no one had seen that exchange.

Creed sat down and crossed his legs gracefully, placing both his hands on his knee and looked at Sephiria. He fingered the fabric on his wrist quickly as the woman approached. Her face was all business and Creed didn't expect anything less from her.

"Mr. Diskence, can you please state your name for the court." It wasn't a question.

"Creed Diskence." He responded firmly, his eyes staying locked on to the woman. He knew that was the best thing to do. If he allowed his gaze to dart around the room, the defense could possibly claim someone was telling him what to say. Since he would be retelling a story he wasn't actually there for, Creed needed to be as careful as possible.

Sephiria nodded. "And would you please state your relationship to Train Heartnet."

He smiled. "He's my spouse." Creed decided to use this word because it sounded a bit more professional and personally than just 'boyfriend'. As much as he loved calling himself that, he wanted to make themselves sound more official than that.

"Mr. Diskence, how would you describe Mr. Heartnet's relationship with Officer Edo and Officer Clark?" Sephiria paced the room a little, looking at Creed as she did so.

Creed's smile turned to a frown. "Very toxic. They often called Train derogatory terms that were aimed directly at our relationship with each other."

"Could you give us an example of words they would use?"

He took a quick breath and fingered the fabric on his wrist again. "Pansy. Pussy. Queer." He paused at the last one, it being the hardest one to repeat without boiling over. "Fag."

There were a few mumbles in the audience, but nothing serious. It was a hard word for anyone to hear, let alone be called at work.

Sephiria nodded. "I see. And, what were Train's reactions to being called these awful words?"

"Train took it in stride. We were both used to being bullied in high school, so he has thick skin. He didn't normally let things like that get to him, but combined with the disrespect he felt from the rest of the precinct, it made his life unbearable there." Creed frowned sadly at the thought. He carefully chose not to mention how concerned he was about his cat's mental health, but he was sure the defendant would bring it up.

"Could you please elaborate on what you mean? Disrespect from the rest of the precinct?" Sephiria stopped her pacing in front of the jury, her back facing Creed as she asked the question.

"No one ever believed him because he showed sympathy towards perps that were brought in. They all believed his emotions were misplaced and anyone who was locked up didn't deserve to be given such kindness…" His voice trailed off at the thought, remembering all the terrible stories he heard from his cat and how no one ever did anything to help him.

"And what are some examples of his kindness?" Sephiria turned around to face Creed when she said this.

The silver man nodded. "Dante Goto. From what my understanding is, he was brought in for stealing bread and Officer Edo beat him to the point where Mr. Goto broke a thumb and had a black eye. Then, once he was locked up, he was refused his phone call and basic amenities such as water, food, and warmth."

The opposite lawyer stood. "Objection, relevance?"

Sephiria spoke to the judge. "This is to show Mr. Heartnet's character and what his life in that station was. Mr. Goto's story is also what led to this trial. Everything Mr. Diskence has been confirmed by Captain Kanon."

The judge nodded and brushed her hand in the air. "Overruled. Continue, Ms. Arks."

The woman nodded as the other lawyer sat next to a disgruntled Edo and Clark. "Mr. Diskence, what did Mr. Hearnet do that everyone else in the station thought was unwarranted kindness?"

"Train fed him and gave him water. He also allowed him his phone call and provided him with a pillow and blanket."

Sephiria looked at him curiously. "That doesn't sound so bad to me."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "That was the kind of behavior that got him in trouble with his captain and made everyone else look down on him. He said they all told him he made them look bad." He bit his tongue to stop himself from saying they did that just fine on their own. Now was not the time to be a smartass.

"Before we get to the night in question, I would like to ask you a few questions about that day Train encountered Edo in the locker room at the station. Is that okay?"

"Objection!" The voice came from Edo's lawyer again. "That is a separate trial we are already mitigating with Ms. Arks. It has nothing to do with the charges at hand."

"Again, your honor, this is to establish what my client's relationship with Officer Edo was. This was a violent attack instigated by one of the defendants and will show the danger he poses to society."

The judge thought about it for a second, then nodded to Sephiria. "I'll allow it. But please keep in mind any charges for that case cannot be brought into this trial. Is that understood, Ms. Arks?"

Sephiria nodded and turned to Creed. "Mr. Diskence, I know this is hard… But could you please share with us what happened to Train that day?"

Creed took a big breath and gripped his wrist tightly. He closed his eyes for a second and imagined his cat's cheeky smile, giving him the strength he needed to retell the story. The silver student was able to do so with great detail. Train had told him every second of that night and had retold it over and over again to so many other people and to Creed so he would get used to having to repeat it in front of a jury. Creed repeated it every day in his head, unable to shake the image. When he was done, the courtroom was quiet except for a coughing man in the back.

Sephiria smiled and nodded at Creed. "Thank you for sharing his story. Now, for the night in question."

The next line of questioning was pretty straight forward. She asked about Dante and that night Train received the call. She asked what his condition in the hospital was and what happened to put him there. Everything was covered and Creed answered every question as he had prepared. He never lied or even stretched the truth. Creed didn't voice his personal opinions once, knowing that would only get him into trouble.

When they were done, Sephiria smiled at Creed and took her spot behind her desk. There was a chair next to her that was empty and Creed knew it was meant for his beloved. He felt his heart sink at that thought, but didn't allow himself to become too depressed as the defense approached to ask their questions.

"Mr. Diskence, you said you were Train's spouse, correct?" The man was tall and thin, face clean shaved with well styled hair. His eyes were dark and prying, Creed had to suppress a squirm under the man's gaze.

He sat a bit taller in his seat and gingerly fignered his wrist again for strength. "Yes. We've been together for about four years now."

"Are you married?" Creed shook his head sadly. "Is it true you carried feelings for Mr. Heartnet far longer than four years?"

Creed blinked at the man, then looked at the judge. "Wh-what?"

Sephiria stood. "Objection, relevance?"

"If Ms. Arks can establish an absent man's character, then I can establish that of his supposed spouse's."

A moment of silence as Creed looked at him strangely, then the judge nodded. "Overruled. Mr. Diskence, please answer the question."

Creed looked the man in the eyes and nodded. "Yes." He didn't elaborate. That wasn't part of the question.

The lawyer nodded knowingly. "Since Mr. Hearnet is currently comatosed, how can we verify what your relationship really is with him? How do we know the true status of this partnership? Withdrawn!" The lawyer shouted before Sephiria could object again.

Creed eyed him wearily. He knew what he was doing and it wasn't going to work. It didn't matter if he withdrew the statement, the idea that Creed was just Train's stalker was now planted in the jury's head. It was up to him to discredit it.

"If you did your research properly, you would find that Train and I have been living together for the past five years." Creed kept his eye on the pacing man, trying to let him know he wouldn't win.

The lawyer nodded. "That's correct. Immediately after you were released from the hospital after you received a very similar attack as Mr. Heartnet. That's quite a coincidence, don't you think?"

Creed held back a growl and kept his face calm. He chose not to answer that question, seeing as it was really just bait to get him mad. This man had clearly done research on Creed, so all he could do was control himself and not give the lawyer what he wanted.

The man smirked and walked away from Creed, turning to face Sephiria, his back pointing at the silver man. "Mr. Diskence, you mentioned you and Mr. Heartnet were bullied a lot in high school. Is that true?"

Creed nodded and the man continued as if he could hear the gesture. "What were you called back then?"

The silver man stayed silent for a second, then looked at the judge. She gestured for him to answer, so he did. "Freak, mostly. Psycho was used heavily in the mix as well."

"Those are pretty harsh words. How would you say you reacted to that?"

Creed stared at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "I controlled myself for the most part. Train was always there to defend me."

"So, did you always rely on Mr. Heartnet to protect you? Is that how your feelings for him developed?" He turned to face Creed, still smirking as he asked his questions.

Creed narrowed his eyes, beginning to see what was happening. "Not always. And any time Train defended me it was his choice. He defended a lot of people in school."

"Right, so you really weren't that important to him?" He smiled when he saw a bit of anger flare in Creed's eyes, but the silver man was able to push it aside very quickly.

He walked away from Creed and to the desk his clients were at. Creed couldn't help but notice the happy grins on their faces. "Is it true that you were once suspended for reacting violently towards another student?" The lawyer flipped through a couple pages of his notes, then asked his next question as he turned to the man at the stand. "You shoved a trash can on another student's head?"

Creed sighed quietly, making sure he controlled the volume of his voice as he spoke. "Yes."

"And from what I see here…" He flipped through a few more pages, lifted his binder and approached Creed again. "It looks like that happened only after they drew a very crude picture of Mr. Heartnet, correct?"

Another sigh. "Yes."

"So, what you're telling me is you have extreme reactions when something involves Mr. Heartnet? How are we to believe anything you say when this could just be another severe emotional outburst by an unstable man concerning the man he is obsessed with?"

"Objection!" Sephiria shouted this time, slamming her first on the table. "What does any of this have to do with my client being shot?"

"Your honor, if you let me continue, it will make sense soon."

The judge nodded and gestured for him to proceed. "Mr. Diskence, would you consider yourself to be a jealous man?"

Creed blinked again, then shook his head. "No…"

The lawyer turned to him. "Are you sure? I've spoken to several of your former classmates who had witnessed you reacted violently towards someone who showed romantic interest in Mr. Heartnet. This has included using words such as-" He flipped through his notebook again. "-Witch, and roughly pulling women away from Mr. Heartnet. Is that true?"

_Who the hell has he been talking to?!_

Creed didn't say anything, but nodded his head. The man smiled. "Interesting… And, where were you the night in question?"

"At home…" Creed controlled his voice, but still couldn't help but feel this was going to go south real fast.

"Was there anyone there to confirm that? You said Mr. Heartnet had left to address an issue with the Goto family and I believe it is just the two of you in that apartment?"

Creed nodded again. "I was by myself."

"I see…" He paced the room again, giving Creed a minute to stew in his own thoughts before continuing his questioning. "Mr. Diskence, how do you think you'd react if Mr. Heartnet tried to end your relationship to be with someone else?"

Creed gaped at the man, his mouth closing and shutting a few times, not sure how to respond. He gave himself a minute to think, then answered. "Train is his own person. I would never hold him hostage in an unwanted relationship." His heart broke at the thought, but he reminded himself it wasn't true and Train was still his.

"Mr. Diskence, I'm going to get right to the point. Is it true that on the night in question, Mr. Heartnet came home to tell you he was in love with Officer Edo and wanted to leave you for him?"

Creed stared at him in disbelief. "WHAT?!" He yelled, no longer able to control his emotions.

The lawyer continued and stood in front of Creed, looking him directly in the eyes. "That day in the locker room was Officer Edo's and Mr. Heartnet's first sexual encounter that sparked the beginning of their relationship. When you found out about it, you forced Mr. Heartnet to call his lawyer and tell him he was sexually assaulted because you couldn't accept the truth. You put him through the pain of a rape kit because you couldn't accept that his heart belonged to another. Then, the night Mr. Heartnet went to see Edo at the Goto's house, you followed him and caused a scene, resulting in the tragic shooting of the comatosed officer."

"OBJECTION!" Sephiria shouted as she slammed the table again. "There is **no** evidence of Mr. Diskence being at the scene and Mr. Heartnet called me before he even spoke to Mr. Diskence that day!"

"But did he call about the supposed assault, or about the release of Mr. Goto?"

Sephiria scowled at him, but did not respond. He smiled.

"That's what I thought. Only after he made contact with Mr. Diskence did he call to address the supposed attack by Officer Edo. The fact is, Mr. Heart and Officer Edo had started a relationship without the knowledge of Mr. Diskence and when he found out, he lost his cool like he has in the past and reacted rashly. Officer Clark got caught up in the mess while he was trying to do a standard drug search." He turned back to Creed, seeing that the man at the stand was getting close to falling off the edge. All he needed to do was push one more time an Creed would reveal his true colors.

"You've loved Mr. Heartnet your entire life and he never gave you a second glance. He gave in out of pity when you were hospitalized from a similar attack. That attack caused you to make up this story in your head because you couldn't deal with the fact that the man you loved your whole life didn't love you back. Is that true?"

Sephiria stared at him, then looked at Creed. Creed's hair had fallen in front of his face, shadowing his eyes menacingly. The courtroom was quiet as the silver man sat there, unable to speak, unable to register anything the lawyer had just said to him. He knew it wasn't true, but at the same time, Train had never told him that he loved him. While he could never let the man in front of him know that, it hurt that some of the things he said were ghosts that haunted Creed's dreams. He always believed deep down that Train didn't love him and was only with me out of pity.

He glanced up and through his silver locks at Edo. The officer was leaning forward on his hands, smirking deviously. In that moment, Creed knew what was happening. Edo was trying to convince everyone that he was actually in a relationship with Train so he could get the restraining order dropped. Once that happened, he'd be free to enter the hospital room with the comatosed cat and do whatever he pleased. It sickened Creed to his stomach and he wouldn't let that happen.

A thought occurred to him and he pulled out a phone, opening a folder entitled, "My Partner" with a heart next to it. Creed clicked a picture and showed it to the lawyer. It was a picture of him and Train, the cat jumping on Creed's back and smiling happily at the camera. He swiped his finger to another picture of them sleeping on a couch in a hotel lobby. His finger moved again and this time it was them dancing at Sven and Eve's wedding. One more time and it was Train holding Creed bridal style, the silver man blushing wildly and Train smiling that cheeky smile he loved so dearly.

The lawyer frowned at Creed, then pushed the phone away. "Of course you would have pictures of Mr. Heartnet on your phone. I fail to see the point you're making."

Creed went to the home screen of the phone, showing him it was a picture of himself sleeping peacefully with smiley faces and firework emojis drawn around it. "If I'm so obsessed, why wouldn't I have a picture of Train as my background?" He pulled up a video, then put it on the stand in front of him. "This is Train's phone."

The video that began to play was one that was taken at Sven and Eve's wedding. The couple hired a videographer for the reception, and the camera man loved Train and Creed's relationship so much, they recorded their entire dance. Creed leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.

"If Train was so miserable with me, why would I be the background picture on his phone? Why would the only photo album on his phone be labeled, 'My Partner' and filled with pictures of me?" He leaned forward held the phone closer to the man in front of him. "Why would he look at me like that, if he was in love with someone else?"

The lawyer rolled his eyes and pushed the phone away again. "You've had all the time in the world to set up his phone however you wanted. Beside that, I believe these photos are marked from several years ago. The past does not represent the present."

Creed stopped the video and flipped through again,checking the dates on each picture until he found a video he had been looking for. He hit play again and put it back on the stand. This video happened the day before Train was attacked by Edo, and the date in the corner showed him that. Train had snuck up on him while he was sleeping, and decided to record the entire encounter.

The movie showed his cat jumping on him while he slept and started tickling him. Creed was seen blocking the blows and laughing, trying to get away from his cat but unable to. It then showed Train holding the phone over the both of them, pulling a breathless Creed onto his chest and kissing the top of his head. The silver man tried to get Train to turn the recording off and covered his face in embarrassment, but his cat was stronger and wouldn't let that happen. Train then pulled Creed closer and kissed him on the lips, still recording as he did this. His cat smiled as Creed stared at him lovingly.

" _You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Silver Dollar…"_

Creed said the words in his head as Train said them on the recording. It ended with Train kissing him tightly on the lips, followed by another laugh.

"What happened next was not suitable for young viewers, so he stopped recording." Creed allowed himself an evil smirk when he said that. "I'd also like to note this was during his suspension time when he was extremely depressed. If this is what our relationship looks like when he's sad, imagine what it's like when he's happy."

Creed smiled proudly at the lawyer's face, knowing he got him. "Check the date, this was **the day** before Officer Edo attacked him. How about we compare this video to the one between Train and the officer consummating their relationship as you've claimed it was?"

The courtroom was silent. While the jury couldn't see the video from where they were sitting, they were able to hear it. The judge, however, saw everything. She looked at Sephiria over her glasses and spoke directly to her. "Ms. Arks, is this part of your evidence?"

Sephiria shook her head. "No. That's just quick thinking on the behalf of my client's spouse." She smiled at Creed, who returned the gesture as he leaned back in his chair again. "However, if the defense wants to define two relationships Mr. Heartnet is incapable of confirming or denying, then I would like to submit his phone as evidence. I will get every video and pictured pulled for the jury to see. On top of that, I would like to submit the video of Officer Edo and Train's encounter in the locker room."

The defense attorney was about to object, but Sephiria stopped him. "Your honor, Mr. Mako has already put the idea of a possible relationship between his client and mine in the jury's mind. He also has questioned the validity of Mr. Heartnet's and Mr. Diskence's partnership, so without the ability of my client to confirm or deny anything, we now should have the right to prove or disprove his claims."

The judge nodded and turned to Mako. "She's right. You opened the door, Mr. Mako. The only way to close it is to prove your case." She banged her gavel and folded her arms. "We are adjourned until tomorrow. Ms. Arks, please come prepared with your new evidence by then."

* * *

Creed ran into Train's hospital room, disregarding Eve and Sven's cries for him to slow down as he approached his cat happily. He grabbed Train's hand and kissed it repeatedly, smiling triumphantly as he addressed his love.

"I did it, Train! I told your story! You should have seen Edo's face!"

Sven chuckled behind Creed and gave him a hardy smack on the back. "Good job, Silver Dollar. We knew you could do it."

"Tell us what happened!" Eve said eagerly, pulling up a chair at the foot of Train's bed to hear Creed better.

Creed rubbed Train's hand, his eyes remaining on his beloved as he spoke to his friends in the room. "Has Train shown any signs of waking up?"

Sven sighed. "No…"

Eve frowned and held up a book. "I read to him. I was hoping maybe if he heard me reading a book, he'd get mad and wake up to tell me to stop. No such luck."

They prepared themselves for Creed's depressed response, but were surprised when he turned to face them and smiled. "Thank you for staying with him. I know he'll come back soon…"

He traced his cat's face lovingly and sighed. He leaned forward and kissed his forehead, then looked at the toy robot that was still in his arm. Creed made sure it never moved since Tak had made him promise to keep him there. He wasn't about to break a promise to a little kid.

"Mr. Diskence, if you plan on running next time, I would appreciate some warning."

The group turned their eyes to Sephiria, who was trying to catch her breath without letting the younger people in the room know. Creed smiled apologetically at her, then returned his attention to Train, brushing his hair with his fingers, caressing his cheek fondly as he smiled warmly at his beloved.

Seeing Creed wasn't going to introduce her, she rolled her eyes and introduced herself. "I assume you are Mr. and Mrs. Vollfied?"

Sven stood and took the hand that she offered. "Yes, you can call me Sven. This is my wife, Eve. I assume you are Train's lawyer? Ms. Arks?"

The woman nodded and Eve stood and bowed politely. Sephiria nodded in return. "I assume Creed has told you why I'm here?"

They both shook their heads and looked at Creed, who was too distracted by Train to pay attention to anything that was happening. Sephiria sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not surprised I guess… I need both of your statements about Creed and Train's relationship. I may even ask for you to testify in front of a jury."

Sven blinked at her, unable to speak so Eve spoke for him. "What does their relationship have to do with Train being shot?"

Sephiria addressed the young woman. "The defense is trying to say Train and Creed's relationship is not legitimate and that Train was actually starting a relationship with Officer Edo. Furthermore, they are claiming that Creed, in a jealous rage, escalated the events of the night he was shot and is actually the one at fault for his current state."

She paused to let them take it all in, then continued. "Since Train is not able to confirm either relationship as true and there are no legal documents stating one way or the other, I'm going to gather any pictures or videos that show the sincerity in their relationship and speak to anyone that can testify it is real."

She looked at Creed sadly. "Creed… It might not be a good idea for you to be here with Train. At least not until tomorrow when this is all settled."

Creed brushed her words aside and kept his eyes on Train. "Nothing is going to keep me from Train. If he wakes up, I want to be there."

Eve spoke to the tall blonde. "If that's the case, why is Creed so happy? That sounds like terrible news to me."

Sephiria smiled at her question. "Because your friend is very smart. He was able to turn the whole thing around on the defense. They weren't expecting him to have Train's phone full of pictures of them and a video from just before the attack that pretty much confirmed the truth."

Sven spoke now, wanting to clarify one more thing. "That wasn't enough to convince them?"

She brushed his words aside. "I'm not concerned about convincing them of the truth. Train's phone was submitted as evidence. The judge gave us a day to gather what we need." She stopped speaking and addressed Sven. "Mr. Vollfied, can I speak to you first?"

He jumped a little when she addressed him, but stood nonetheless and followed her from the room. They were gone for a while, and when she returned, she took Eve for questioning. Creed was only half aware of when they entered and exited the room. He was keeping his eyes on Train. Since he was gone for so long, he wanted to make sure not to miss a minute of his cat, just in case he woke up. The silver man even had papers ready for him to sign, trying not to think about what it would mean if his beloved didn't want to sign them.

When Sephiria came back in the room with Eve, she wrote down a few things in her notebook, then turned to Creed. "Creed, do you have a list of people I can call that can confirm your relationship status with Train? Preferably those who know you well and you and Train speak to on a regular basis?"

Creed nodded and kissed his cat one more time on the head, before taking his phone out and listing off names. "Saya Minatsuki, definitely. Also Rinslet Walker and Jenos Hazard. Let's see…"

He stopped at a name and thought for a second, then nodded and smiled to himself. "Charden Flamberg and Kyoko Kirisaki."

Sven and Eve looked at each other, then at Creed. "Creed… Are you sure that's a good idea?" Eve questioned wearily.

Sephiria gave the young blonde the same worried look. "Why wouldn't it be okay to talk to them?"

"She's concerned about Kyoko, not Charden. Kyoko has had a crush on Train since high school and has never liked that we've been together." He turned to his young friend and smiled. "I think if we can get someone like Kyoko on the record verifying our relationship, we'll be golden. If you wanna talk about someone who's obsessed with Train, she's your girl."

The lawyer stared at Creed for a minute. "Is she… unstable? Or is she one of the women they mentioned today you had to take off Train? Do we need to worry about the defense tearing her apart?"

Creed shook his head. "No. Unless you want to call her to the stand to testify, I don't see why they would want to call her. She's actually a bit **too** truthful about her life. If anything, the defense calling her to confirm my partnership with Train will hurt them. She'll never shut up about how upset she is about it and it'd do more damage than good to their case. I don't think she'd ever even mention any encounters I've had with her. Mr. Mako must have heard those stories from someone else. She did it in front of the entire school, so there are hundreds of people he could have spoken to. Kyoko was never exactly gentle with Train. It was all defensive on our part."

Sephiria thought about this for a minute then looked at Sven and Eve. They nodded in agreement which made the lawyer nod as well. "That makes sense. I don't know if I'll need to call more than Sven and Eve, anyway. I'll still give everyone on your list a call right now."

She nodded to everyone in the room, but before she left, he spoke to Creed one more time. "Creed, when did you say your graduation was?"

He tilted his head a bit in confusion at her. "About another year. Why?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "No reason. Keep an eye on your partner. And remember to get him to sign those papers if he wakes up. That'll make everything much easier."

When she left, Creed stared after her for a few more minutes before asking his friends a question. He continued caressing his beloved as he spoke, but looked at the married couple.

"Are you sure you'll both be okay testifying? It was pretty brutal today…"

Sven sat down heavily and waved a hand at Creed. "Of course we will. We'll do anything to help you guys out."

Eve nodded in agreement and sat on her husband's lap. "These scumbags should be locked up, not armed on the streets with a power complex."

Creed smiled gratefully at them. "Thank you…"

"Nevermind that, tell us what happened today! Ms. Arks said you turned the defense on its head?" Sven sounded excited, like he was about to watch a news report on a high stakes case.

Creed smiled at his friends' eager faces. Still holding Train's hand, he recounted the day's events, not sparing any details. He was very proud of himself and decided to allow himself his moment of triumph. As he told the story, he glanced at his cat every so often, hoping his love could hear him as well. He squeezed his partner's hand tightly, allowing the strength of their relationship to race through his body.

_It's all for you, my love. I'll keep fighting until they are put away for good._


	23. Positive Thinking

There is a part in here where Sven and Eve are being questioned. So there isn't confusion, I wanted to explain their examinations were done separate, but I wrote them as "happening at the same time" so I didn't have to write out what would essentially be the same things twice.

Disclaimed: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters.

* * *

** Positive Thinking **

"So, wait, explain to me again what's happening? And why the trial got postponed another week?" Sven asked, scratching his head in confusion as he tried to put the pieces together.

Creed was leaning over his cat with a small bag of ice, trying to get rid of the red marks Train had around his mouth due to the oxygen mask. The doctors said his golden love was breathing fine on his own and didn't need it any longer. While this was good news, it still did not mean his beloved would be waking up immediately. None of the medical staff could say for sure when he would wake up, but this was at least a step in the right direction.

_And I'm trying to concentrate on the positive things now. That's what Train would do, and that's what he needs. I need to focus._

Another positive thing about his cat's situation was the doctors were able to determine through an EEG test that Train's brian was reactive to sounds around him. That meant his love could hear everything they were saying. However, it did not mean he would remember everything when he woke up. The test also made them hopeful he would wake up soon, but they could not make any promises or state any exact dates.

Again, Creed chose not to think about that. Instead, he continued to talk to his partner and tell him everything that was happening. He also made sure to tell Train he loved him and missed him every single day.

The silver man rolled his eyes at his friend's question, but did not stop what he was doing to his cat. The ice pack was working, the marks had started to go away after doing this every day for three days.

"I told you it's hard to explain. Since Mako, the defense's lawyer, used Edo's attack on Train at the police station as relevant to the shooting at the Goto house, Sephiria was able to argue that we should try the two cases together." Creed then began fusing with his love's hair, making sure not to brush it too much since he knew Train liked it messy.

Creed smiled at that thought. _I like it messy too. But, I don't want his knots to get so bad that we need to cut it all off._

Sven nodded, seeming to understand a little more. "But… **How** did she do that? That sounds really tricky to pull off, especially since they sound like two unrelated events."

Creed nodded, but still did not turn his head. "Correct, it is tricky. The best way I can explain it is that Mako rang a bell that he now cannot unring. Essentially, we're starting the trial over. They needed to get a new jury and everything. Which means both sides need to state their case all over again."

Again, Sven nodded. "Yeah, that's a lot of work. I guess I'm just shocked and confused Ms. Arks was able to accomplish such a task in such a small amount of time."

The silver man smiled and caressed his cat's cheek. "Because she's amazing. Wait 'til you see her work."

Sven smiled and watched his friend's back for a few minutes before asking a question he and Eve had been wondering. "Creed… Are you going to be okay? As you said, they're starting all over. You need to relive the questioning you went through and…" He paused for another second, worried about asking this next part. "...You're going to have to watch the video of Train's attack. Do you think you can handle that?"

Creed kept his eyes on his love, memorizing every inch of his face, the curves of his jawline and cheekbones, the feel of his soft skin. His scratches, swelling, and bruises were pretty much healed up, and Creed was grateful to be able to see his partner's amazing face again. Even though he didn't think it was possible for him to ever forget anything about his cat, he knew that he would need to recall a mental image of his cat today to give him strength, so he made extra sure to study his beloved's beautiful features carefully. Everything Sven said was true, and it was all Creed had been thinking about.

He nodded firmly at Sven. "Yes. I can handle it."

Creed had been mentally preparing himself for today since the moment Sephiria called to give him the news. It was both good news and bad news, but again, Creed was going to look at the positive side. Postponing the trial allowed Sephiria more time to collect witnesses and evidence. It also gave Creed and everyone else more time to prepare what they would say in response to the defense's question. The best part was this gave more time for Train to wake up. If his beloved woke up and was able to testify, this whole thing would probably be over very quickly.

_Even if he wakes up and his memory is intact, chances are he might not be physically able to testify right away._

This reminded him of the negative sides of starting over. Besides the fact that Creed would have to relive that day and see the video of his love being attacked, all the positives for them were also true to the defense. While Sephiria did not know everything they had planned, she did let Creed know he should prepare to see people from his past he may not want to see again. This scared the silver man that he might see Izo again, but his lawyer assured him that was extremely unlikely. Calling either him or his mother to the stand would be a bad move. If they were deemed to corrupt at the time to testify, she didn't see how that would have changed since then.

_Not to mention they have both apparently been in and out of jail since then. Sounds like they just can't get their lives together._

On top of all that, part of the deal they made all those years ago was they would never have to be in the same room as Train or Creed again. This was something both he and his cat were more than happy to oblige. While it wasn't a restraining order, it was enough to assure they didn't have to see them again.

His heart sank when he thought of that, because it reminded him of something else.

"Sven, can you please check the halls again? I'm so sorry, I'm just-"

Sven put a hand up to stop him. "Don't apologize, I understand. Just text me if Eve gets here with Saya."

Creed nodded gratefully as Sven partolled the hallways. Eve went to pick up Saya from the airport. This was the other positive side of postponing the trial. It gave Saya enough time to plan a trip and buy a ticket to be a witness on Train and Creed's behalf. While he was excited to see her, his excitement was dulled with some news he received regarding Edo.

Apparently, because Creed had no legal rights to make calls for Train and their relationship was brought into question, Sephiria could not keep up the full extent of the restraining order against Edo. While it was still in place, the distance was severely lowered. Previously, it was three-hundred feet, but Edo's lawyer was able to reduce it to thirty feet.

They even tried to use their story of Train's fake relationship with the officer to get one for Creed against his beloved. Sephiria was able to stop that on the basis that they did not have enough evidence of Edo and Train's supposed relationship. What was worse was they were trying to get the restraining order dropped completely. Creed was beyond scared when he overheard Mako saying to Edo that he would fight to get his lover back.

Creed shivered at the memory. He wanted to punch the man in the face for that comment, but Sephiria was able to hold him back. The fact that Edo was playing the role of the innocent new lover and painting Creed was the jilted ex was infuriating. He played through the defense's fake story over and over and just could not make sense of it. The silver man did not know how they would be able to swing this story, especially if Train woke up. Their only shot then would be if Train lost his memory.

All of this was bad news, but the worst news was the hospital staff had brought it to Creed's attention that they saw Edo trying to enter the building. With the restraining order still in effect, it was now a short enough distance the officer could stand in the hallway and watch Train from afar. The only comfort that Creed had was he could not get close enough to touch his cat, but the idea of the older man was able to even stare at him was horrifying.

Since then, Eve and Sven had been taking shifts walking the halls of the hospital and checking outside. With Eve gone, that left Sven to do it by himself. This concerned Creed because it made it easier for the officer to get in. Not that Sven or any of the staff could stop him, he had every legal right to be there if he wanted, it was still good to have a heads up so they could close and lock the door. They were lucky the staff cared about Creed so much that they would do their best to have his back and keep the man away from them both.

_Still, there isn't much they can do…_

Creed frowned at his thought, but pushed it aside in favor of his cat. He smiled lovingly and gave Train a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, Train…"

Sephiria would be there soon, as would Eve and Saya and they'd all be on their way to the trial together. Once that happened, Creed knew Train would be safe because Edo had to be there too. If he decided to skip and pay his cat a visit, he would be held in contempt, his restraining order would be reinstated to its original distance, and chances of his lawyer getting him cleared of all charges would be slim. It would do more harm than good for Edo to miss the trial.

_Still, it hasn't stopped him from trying to stop by. Hopefully he didn't sneak in while Sven was getting dressed in the bathroom._

Thinking of that, Creed decided to do one last check over of himself. He gave his beloved a kiss on the lips, smiling happily that there was nothing in his way anymore, and turned on his heels to head to the bathroom. However, he stopped before he could even take a step forward. In fact, he took a step back closer to Train, putting his arms out a little as the man standing in the doorway smirked evilly at him.

"Mr. Diskence… You look ready for court today." Edo was smirking at him, but his eyes were trying to look behind him at the comatosed cat.

Creed growled at the man. "The order is still thirty feet… Are you sure you're at that limit?" To prove how serious he was, the silver man pulled out a tape measurer and held it in the arm threateningly.

Edo chuckled, but took a step back anyway. "Oh, I already made sure to check the distance. And no, I did not check it by actually stepping over to my kitten, don't panic."

Creed growled even louder this time at the pet name he gave Train. He chose not to question how he figured out the distance and simply gave him the deadliest look he could muster, hoping that would be enough to scare the officer away.

"What do you want?" Creed asked, not bothering to contain the anger in his voice.

Edo shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms, leaning slightly to see if he could get a better view of Train. "Just came to see how you're taking care of my lover."

Creed practically spat his response at the man. "Stop with the lies. Train is **not** your lover."

Another chuckle escaped the older man's lips. "You just don't want to admit he's moved on from you. My **kitten** and I have been doing this dance since he joined the force. He was too afraid to tell you because he didn't know how you would react."

The silver man scoffed. "That's easy to say when Train is incapable of denying your claims. I never heard any complaints when he was laying with **me** in bed."

"As I said, he's scared of you. I knew everything that was happening with you both and was okay with it since we had a plan to free him from his hell." Edo's eyes did not meet Creed's, which is when the law student figured out he had found a way to see Train's sleeping form.

Creed leaned to block his view and kept his furious glare on him. "Keep your **filthy** eyes **off** him…"

Edo's smirk widened, clearly happy to be pushing Creed's buttons. "It won't be long until the truth comes out. And when it does, you'll **never** see him again…"

Creed couldn't help the frustrated sigh that left his lips. "This is **so** ridiculous. On what planet do you think you can get away with this? You know as soon as he wakes up what he's going to say. What do you expect to happen?"

"The bond we have is strong enough to overpower your obsessions, I'm not concerned." His voice sounded confident, which angered Creed even more.

"Do you really think saying it out loud will make it true? Do you think if you keep repeating your lies some demon will hear you and grant your sick wishes?" Creed hated how easy it was for the man to get under his skin. He knew he was giving Edo exactly what he wanted, but he couldn't help himself. The man was just so infuriating.

Edo shrugged his shoulders again. "I'm hoping my **kitten** will hear my voice and wake up. They say if someone in a coma hears voices of people they love, they might come to. Seeing as **I** haven't been allowed near him, it makes sense that he's still unconscious."

Creed chose not to respond to this. Instead, he took another step backwards and towards Train, trying to use his small frame to block as much of his beloved as he could. The silver student decided to try his best to not say anything at this point. There was no telling what the man's real intentions were, but he knew talking back was not going to help.

Seeing Creed wasn't going to respond, he continued his actions, hoping to push the silver man's buttons some more. "What was your favorite sound Heartnet made? I **love** his gasps. He just sounds so **surprised** to feel such immense pleasure…"

Creed felt a rage boiling inside of him that was about to explode. He actually felt himself taking a step forward, then stopped. The law student now realized what Edo was trying to do.

_He's trying to provoke me into an attack. He wants me to "show my true colors", as Mako put it, so they have something more to work with._

He smiled at this thought. This meant they were struggling for a good defense. If Edo came here for the sole purpose of trying to push Creed into a violent outburst, that might actually be a good thing. As long as Creed didn't give the officer what he wanted, it looked like they might have the upper hand.

Creed smiled proudly at the man, feeling a confidence he had not felt since Train was awake. Instead of reacting combatively, he turned to face Train, giving him a big kiss on the lips while caressing his cat's cheek and hair. He made sure his motions were big enough to annoy the older man as much as he could. When he was done, he did not turn back to Edo, instead allowing his eyes to stay on his cat.

"I suggest you leave before **our** lawyer gets here. I'd hate to see you get in more trouble than you already are in." Creed chose not to respond to his previous comment, knowing that's what Edo wanted.

He heard the man grumble under his breath, then try a different tactic to set Creed off. "Heartnet is quite an impressive specimen, don't you think? I know you're going to miss him in your bed, but I can assure you he'll be kept warm in mine…"

Creed clenched his fist and held his breath. He knew if he didn't concentrate, he would explode. That was not an option right now, especially with his and Train's livelihood on the line.

"Office Edo, may I ask what you're doing here trying to intimidate my client's partner?"

The silver man didn't need to turn around to see who the voice belonged to. He smiled and pressed his face against Train's neck, taking in a deep sigh of relief as Sephiria stepped into the room and between him and Edo. Charlotte was there as well, since she was one of Sephiria's witnesses and the tall blonde wanted them to all arrive together. Creed knew he was safe at this point and decided to forget his negative feelings by indulging himself in his cat.

Edo scowled at the woman. "I have a right to be here. That's **my** lover laying on the bed there." He pointed at Train possessively, sparking another wave of anger through Creed that he had to push away.

"Mr. Heartnet is not property, officer, he is a human. You should not make such outrageous statements." Sephiria's voice was as serious as always, but this time with a hint of intimidation to accompany it.

Edo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms once more. "If I shouldn't make such statements, then that man over there shouldn't as well."

Charlotte took a bit of a defensive position and moved closer to Edo, just in case he tried to do something to Sephiria. Edo, being in law enforcement as well, noticed her stance and decided to take a step back. He wasn't so stupid as to get into a fight with a detective on the day of his trial.

This time it was Sephiria's turn to roll her eyes. "My client's partner has never claimed Mr. Heartnet belonged to him. He's claimed they are in a **legitimate** relationship with each other, not that Mr. Hearnet is his **property.** "

The Officer did not respond to her statement. The lawyer had him trapped in a corner, and she was ready to go in for the kill.

"Officer Edo, I suggest you head to the courthouse. We will be leaving soon as well, and I'm shocked that you are not currently with your lawyer. That, plus being just barely within the rage of your restraining order puts you in a precarious situation. I can't imagine Mr. Mako is okay with this."

Seeing Edo did not move and insteading continuing to glance at Creed and Train, Sephiria looked at Charlotte. "Detective Miller, could you please escort Officer Edo out?"

The detective nodded and took a light hold of Edo's elbow. He ripped it out violently and scowled, but walked away with her nonetheless. A few moments later Sven came running into the room out of breath and sweating.

"Creed, I just heard he's here, but I didn't see him." He wiped his forehead and took a big breath of air.

"He just left, Mr. Vollfied. Just as we should be too. Where is Mrs. Vollfied and Ms. Minatsuki?"

Sven was clearly upset with himself, but checked his phone to answer the woman's questions nonetheless. "They just pulled up. We can head downstairs and meet them outside."

Sephiria nodded and headed out the door. "Mr. Diskence, Mr. Vollfied, let's go."

Sven stayed to wait for Creed and also spew a line of apologies. The silver man stopped him without looking at him, contenting himself with the peaceful face of his sleeping cat. It was amazing how much better he looked without the oxygen mask. At this point, Train looked like he was asleep, which Creed decided was better than his love looking like he was barely alive.

"Sven, don't apologize. I actually think it was good he was here." He could feel his green friend's confused face and continued. "Edo was able to give me a view of what they want from me. And now that I know, I can make sure they don't get it."

With another wistful smile at his cat, he kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'll be back soon, Love."

He turned and patted Sven's shoulder as they left the room, allowing his confidence to show in his walk.

* * *

They arrived at the same time as the defense, Creed making sure to avoid Edo's eyes as they stepped into the room and took their seats. He didn't have much time to reunite with Saya, but he was glad to have the woman there. The teal eyed girl held Creed's hand before they had to part and sit down. The gesture felt nice since he hadn't been able to feel the strength of his cat in so long.

She also made sure to sit behind him in the aisle since he now had to sit next to Sephiria. While there was not enough of a case to press charges against Creed, he was dragged into the case as well, since they were trying to accuse him of being the reason Clark shot Train. Because of this, he had to take a spot next to the lawyer and couldn't sit with his friends.

The jury was ushered in as the bailiff announced the arrival of the judge. They were lucky to keep the same judge as before, since she was already familiar with both cases. She also seemed like a fair and impartial judge, which is what they needed in order to see justice for his beloved.

They started off slow, both lawyers making their opening statements. Once they were done, the Gotos were called to recount the night of the shooting events. Their stories had not changed and Sephiria had even managed to track down a few neighbors who heard or saw some of what had happened. No one claimed to see Creed there other than Clark and Edo, who had their body cams turned off therefore were unable to prove their stories. At this point, it came down to the story of two seasoned officers, innocent bystanders, a pregnant woman, and her husband with a criminal record. The odds weren't really in their favor, but Creed was going to stay positive. Hopefully, if they could convince the jury they were dirty cops, they would get the upper hand.

Once they were all dismissed from the stand, Sven and Eve were called. The two of them were asked very basic questions about Train and Creed's relationship, which they answered very truthfully. The defense cross examined them, and weren't really able to get anywhere. Mako tried to catch them up on any small details that might poke holes into their stories, but they were strong witnesses. They had nothing but positive things to say about their two long term friends, and when any negative statements were made, they handled it very well.

"Mrs. Vollfied, is it true that you have seen Mr. Diskence show violent outbursts in regards to Mr. Heartnet?"

Eve thought about the question for only a second, then answered very firmly. "Creed has never reacted in a way that made me concerned for someone's well being."

"I feel like you're avoiding the question, Mr. Vollfied…" Mako's voice sounded annoyed as he rubbed his eyes.

Sven shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. "Like I said, Creed has never scared me. If he ever did anything I thought was dangerous, I wouldn't have had him as a groomsmen at my wedding."

Mako sighed in frustration as Eve stared at him innocently. "Are you saying that you have never seen Mr. Diskence display signs that could be akin to someone who has been deemed mentalyl unstable?"

"Creed has never made me feel unsafe. In fact, I feel safer when he is around. I know he would never let anything bad happen to me." She smiled happily, knowing she was not giving the lawyer what he wanted.

Make tried to jump on her statement. "So, are you insinuating that Mr. Diskence would hurt someone to 'keep his friends safe', as you put it?"

The young girl shook her head. "I said no such thing. We could go back and see what the record says, if you'd like." Eve looked over at the stenographer curiously, but Mako waved his hand in the air, signaling that was not necessary.

"Mr. Vollfied, is it true that Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence started their relationship at your wedding?"

Sven thought about it, then responded confidently. "That was when a label was put on it. But we all knew they were together before that."

"How soon before that?" Mr. Mako was checking his notes as he gazed at the young girl.

"I would say about six months before that." Said answered sternly.

"And who initiated the relationship?"

"It just sort of happened." Eve and Sven had the same answer to this question.

"But isn't it true Creed had feelings for Train long before their relationship began?" Mako asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Again, they both answered the same way.

"And how did Train react to that?" Mako asked, trying to get more out of them.

"It took some getting used to for all of us, but once we did, it became normal." Sven said nonchalantly.

Mako nodded. "And, would you say Mr. Diskence was respectful of Mr. Hearnet's personal space?"

"That isn't a question I can answer because I don't know what boundaries they had set." Eve answered readily. "What I can say is Train would not have stayed friends with him during that time if he felt unsafe or uncomfortable."

"How certain are you that their relationship was real and Mr. Heartnet was not being forced into something he didn't want?" Mako tried to be more blunt with his tactics.

"Because I trust Train. He would never allow himself to be kept prisoner in a relationship." Eve responded firmly, knowing for the fact it was the truth.

"And you're positive Mr. Heartnet wanted to be with Mr. Diskence?" Mako asked Sven, hoping for a different response than his wife.

"Yes." The green haired man kept his answer short, not giving the lawyer a chance to pull anything more out of him.

"Alright, your honor, I have no further questions." Mako sounded frustrated, but not surprised. Chances were he expected those answers out of two of Creed and Train's closest friends, but was also hoping he could get them to slip up. Seeing they wouldn't he decided to move on.

Sephiria stood to call her next witness. "The prosecution would like to call Saya Minatsuki to the stand."

Saya smiled at Creed, gave his shoulder a squeeze as she stood to take her spot. After she was sworn in she sat straight, trying to make herself look as professional as possible.

"Please state your name for the court." Sephiria requested as she approached the woman at the bench.

"Saya Minatsuki."

"And what is your relationship to my client and his partner?"

Saya smiled widely. "They're my best buds!"

Sephiria nodded. "And how long have you known them?"

Saya tapped her index finger on her chin as she thought about the question. "I've known Train for about eighteen years and Creed for about five or six."

"So, you and Mr. Heartnet have known each other longer than anyone else in your friend group?" Sephiria asked.

The woman at the stand nodded. "Yes. We met at the park when we were five and we've been best friends since."

"So, it's safe to assume that you know my client very well?"

Saya nodded again. "Yes. We're pretty much the same person."

Sephiria laughed a little at this. "Yes, I've seen that through the interactions that we've had." She slowly paced the room, not looking at the young woman, but still addressing her. "How would you describe Mr. Heartnet's and Mr. Diskence's relationship?"

She smiled warmly and glanced at Creed quickly. "Very loving."

"Would you say it was healthy?"

Another nod. "One of the healthiest and happiest relationships I've ever seen." She looked at Sven and Eve and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, guys."

The married couple brushed away her comments and smiled in return.

"Have you ever seen Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence fight?" Sephiria asked calmly.

Saya shook her head. "No. I've only ever seen them be nothing but happy with one another. In fact-" She looked at Creed again, directing this part at her silver friend. "-I've never seen Train happier than when he's with Creed."

Creed smiled and blushed, overjoyed to hear Saya say that to him. The rest of Sephiria's questions went pretty much along those lines. Saya was a credible witness because of how long she knew Train and how well she knew their relationship. She and Creed had gotten very close over the years and was the number one supporter of their relationship. She was also just such a happy-go-lucky positive girl that It was going to be hard to get anything negative out of her.

However, Mako was going to give it his best shot as he began his questioning rather quickly once Sephiria had stepped away.

"Ms. Minatsuki, you say that you've **never** seen Mr. Heartner and Mr. Diskence fight, is that correct?"

Saya was thrown off by his fast question, barely hearing him as he spoke. "Y-yes, that's correct."

He eyed her wearily. "Really? You've **never** seen them fight? I don't know about anyone else in his courtroom, but I've been married for twenty-one years and my wife and I have been in many fights." A few people in the room chuckled quietly, being able to relate to the man. "Ms. Minatsuki, are you in the relationship?"

Saya blinked, looking around the room then settling on Sephiria, who gestured for her to answer. "Yes. I have a girlfriend."

"Would you say you have a good relationship with her?"

"Yes." She answered quickly, still not sure where he was going with his line of questioning.

"Do you fight?" He asked as he eyed her above his reading glasses.

A slight pause, then she answered. "Yes…"

"But, you said you have a good relationship?" He asked curiously, as if Saya was lying before.

"We do. That doesn't mean we don't fight." She answered a bit defensively.

Mako smiled and nodded. "That's correct. Fighting is normal in relationships. In fact, I would argue that a couple who **never** fights is odd, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Minatsuki?"

Saya stared at him for a minute, then nodded reluctantly.

He smiled at her and took a few steps away. "From what I gathered through your examination from Ms. Arks, you spoke to Mr. Diskence about his feelings for Mr. Heartnet often, is that correct?"

Saya nodded, but didn't answer verbally, worried she would put her foot in her mouth again.

"How often did you talk to Mr. Heartnet about his feelings?"

Saya blinked, then opened and closed her mouth a few times before responding. The answer wasn't as simple as he was implying, so she wanted to be careful with her words. "No, but Train-"

"So, is it okay to assume that you didn't really know how Mr. Heartnet felt about his relationship with Mr. Diskence?"

"No, that's wrong." Saya said a bit harshly, getting tired of this man putting words in her mouth. "Train is not good at facing his emotions. It's been like that ever since his parents-"

She stopped herself, realizing she was stepping into sensitive territory. Mako nodded, knowing what she was going to say. "Yes, the murder of his parents. Very tragic. Probably caused a terrible trauma for an innocent child."

A controlled sniffle could be heard coming from Edo, which caused Creed to scowl. The officer was doing his best to put on the role of a heartbroken new lover and was apparently going so far as to pretend he cared about Train's past. Creed took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He couldn't show his negative emotions. That's what the defense wanted.

Mako paced the room. "That **would** cause negative consequences to one's emotional well being." He paused as he stood in front of the jury. "Ms. Minatsuki, you said Mr. Heartnet was your best friend, correct?"

Saya nodded, but said nothing. Even though he didn't see her, he knew what her response was and continued his train of thought. "Did you know that he was not living with his grandparents in high school?"

The girl blinked, shocked at the news as she looked at Creed. The silver man gave her an apologetic, sad look, but also trying to tell her through his eyes he would explain later. "No… I did not know that."

"So, it looks like you didn't know him that well, did you?" Again, she didn't respond, so Mako continued. "If you didn't know such a big detail in your best friend's life, how do you know that means he trusted you enough to tell you his true feelings?"

Saya opened her mouth, then closed it again, realizing that was not a question the lawyer really meant for her to answer.

"Is it true that you and Mr. Heartnet had a romantic relationship in high school?"

The girl blinked at him, then shook her head. "No. That is not true."

"I've spoken to many of your classmates who have stated they thought you and Mr. Heartnet were an item in high school. Why would they say that if it wasn't true?" He smiled, knowing he had her right where he wanted her.

Saya scowled a little. "They were mistaken. We never had a romantic relationship."

He turned from the jury to face her. "But didn't you **want** to?" He smiled again, seeing her squirm a little at the question. "You both had feelings for each other that Mr. Heartnet most likely avoided only because he had enough going on in his life. Is that correct?"

Saya didn't look at him and didn't answer. Unfortunately, that was enough of an answer for Mako and he continued to push.

"From what I've gathered, Mr. Heartnet was going through a lot in high school. While you both had feelings for each other, you respected Mr. Heartnet enough to give him space and not force a relationship on him. Mr. Diskence, however…" He gestured to the silver man sitting behind him. "...Did not respect Mr. Heartnet's space and forced his feelings on him. Mr. Diskence was selfish and forced a still very emotionally raw teen into accepting his intense desires. Is that correct?"

Saya gawked at him, then shook her head rapidly. "What?! No, that's not what happened!"

Mako smiled again. "Then tell us what happened."

The girl sighed deeply, still trying to be careful with what she said. "Creed told Train how he felt, but he never forced anything on Train. When Train did not return his feelings at first, Creed gave him space and they remained very close friends."

"Did you know that Mr. Diskence kissed Mr. Heartnet when he first confessed his feelings?"

Again, Saya was speechless, which was a hard task to accomplish for the normally overly talkative girl. However, that was the only response he needed from her to confirm her lack of knowledge of the event.

Mako turned to the judge. "Your honor, I would like to submit into evidence a video recording we have on Mr. Diskence forcing himself onto Mr. Heartnet in the library of their high school."

The judge nodded and permitted Mako to start a video he had prepared. Creed eyed Sephiria wearily. He tried to remain calm because she had warned him about this. While he was concerned how it would be viewed by the jury, his lawyer assured him once they saw the video of Train and Edo at the police station, this would be absolutely insignificant. There wasn't a way for her to dismiss the evidence either, this the defense's argument that Creed and Train's relationship was not legitimate. Her job was to disprove that.

Saya and the rest of the courtroom watched a video of Creed falling from the bookshelves and on top of Train. Creed felt sad and embarrassed as he watched his high school self lean forward and kiss his beloved. He hadn't seen Train's face at the time, but could now see how shocked and scared his cat looked. Creed hated himself in that moment and looked away when he saw himself going in for another kiss, which was stopped by a very flustered and bothered Train who left the library very quickly.

The courtroom was quiet as Mako turned the TV off and faced Saya again. "You say that you know Mr. Heartnet better than anyone else. Would you say that was a kiss Mr. Heartnet wanted?"

Saya looked away and shook her head, still not vocalizing her answer.

"Would you say Mr. Heartnet felt safe and comfortable with Mr. Diskence at that moment?"

Again, no response, but that was good enough for Mako as he smiled as he walked away. "No further questions, your honor."

Sephiria stood and walked towards Saya. "Your honor, I'd like to ask the witness a few more questions."

The judge nodded as Sephiria removed changed the video on the television to a more recent video of Train and Creed at a hospital.

"Ms. Minatsuki, you spoke to Mr. Diskence often while he was hospitalized, yes?"

Saya nodded, still feeling like she couldn't speak after that encounter.

"And you spoke to him after he and Mr. Heartnet had their **real** first kiss, correct?"

Another nod as Saya raised her eyes carefully to the female lawyer, hoping she was about to show them something good. Sephiria smiled and started the video. This was one of Train and Creed kissing tenderly at the hospital, when Creed had started the kiss to give an overly zealous nurse the correct impression of what their relationship was.

This video was much sweeter and loving. The silver man smiled blissfully at the scene, joyful to see how his love had responded back then. At the time, the feeling of his cat kissing him back was everything to him and now watching Train wrap his arms around him and deepen the kiss on his own was a relief. It was a reminder that his beloved had feelings for him that went beyond pity or friendship. This was when their relationship truly began, even if his love needed a little more time to figure out what he wanted.

When it ended, Saya beamed at Sephiria, happy to be leaving on a high note.

"Ms. Minatsuki, would you say that kiss was forced?"

She smiled. "Nope!"

"Who would you say escalated that kiss?" Sephiria asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

"It looks like Creed may have started it, but Train definitely took it to the next level." She couldn't get over how happy she was. She wasn't there for their first kiss, only heard about it from Creed and her other friends. It was such a joy to see it in person and know Train had enjoyed it. "In fact, it looked like Creed had to be one the to end it. Train **definitely** wanted that kiss."

Sephiria smiled. "Just a few more questions, Ms. Minatsuki then you can take your seat. Could you please confirm the date on his video as having happened just a few years ago?"

Saya squinted, then nodded her head. "Yes. This was the year we graduated high school and that was pretty much the exact time they began their relationship."

The lawyer nodded and walked away. "No further questions, your honor."

The judge dismissed Saya from the stand and she did so happily. She gave Mako a mocking smile, then gave Creed a genuine one. The silver man returned the gesture, his eyes swelling up with tears at the memory of his first real kiss with his cat. Saya was right, Train did take the kiss to the next level and Creed had been the one to end it. He had a feeling his beloved would have kept going if Creed didn't end it.

The silver man tried to give Sephiria a grateful look, but the woman was still all business as she looked through her notes and addressed the judge. There were a few more witnesses called that Sephiria had managed to find that were able to attest to his relationship with Train. Some of them were schoolmates Creed remembered from either high school or college. He was surprised by that since he didn't really have any friends from college. She even got some of his professors which was a wonderful experience for Creed. They all had nothing but great things to say about the silver student and the defense was unable to get anything negative out of them.

_This was really clever of Sephiria. These are people that wouldn't gain anything by saying something negative or positive about me and Train, but also have nothing but great things to say. It's just amazing how she was able to find so many people that would have nothing but wonderful things to say about me._

All in all, Sephiria did a great job at making him look good and proving the legitimacy of his relationship with Train. Several of the Sephiria's witnesses Mako didn't even bother questioning, knowing there was nothing they would be able to get out of them.

However, by far his favorite witness to watch was Charlotte. She was a seasoned detective and was used to being on the stand. Sephiria and Charlotte had great chemistry, so everyone enjoyed watching the two of them go back and forth and she was able to provide great testimony of Creed and Train's relationship as well as the silver man's previous case. She saw first hand how much Train cared about Creed while he was hospitalized and she was there to witness the birth of their relationship.

This all changed once the defense got their hands on her.

"Detective Miller, is it true you were at the trial of Mr. Hearnet's parents?" Mako asked as he approached the bench.

"Yes." Charlotte responded firmly.

"How far into your career were you at that point?"

She pondered that for a minute, then responded. "It was before I became a detective. I was still a police officer at the time."

Mako looked at his notes then at the woman behind the bench. "Yes, from what I found it looked like you became a detective almost immediately after that. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Her answers were short and to the point.

"Do you think that had anything to do with the Heartnet case?" He raised a curious eyebrow at the woman.

Her demeanor did not change as she answered. "It was definitely a push in the right direction for me."

"I'll take that as a yes." Mako closed his notes and stepped closer to the bench. "So, it sounds like you knew Mr. Heartnet before the events of Mr. Diskence's attack, so you already have a soft spot for him, is that true?"

"I did not recognize Mr. Heartnet when I first saw him or was first assigned the case. It was only after speaking in length with him did I remember who he was." She kept her eyes on the lawyer, not trusting anything he said.

"Yes, but once you did remember it looks as though you threw even more of yourself in the case, is that true?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No. I give all my cases the same amount of attention."

Mako tapped his notes with a pen and took another step forward. "I spoke with the staff at the hospital Mr. Diskence was at and they said you were there quite often to check up on them. Are we really to believe you have so much spare time on your hands that you can check on two teenage boys as often as you did?"

The woman was quiet for a second, then responded confidently. "While you may not believe it is possible to dedicate yourself to your work that much, I assure you it's true. You can ask my captain or former victims I've worked with."

Mako waved a hand in the air to dismiss her offer. "That won't be necessary. However, is it safe to say you are a bit too biased to be a witness for the defendant?"

"No." The detective said quickly.

"How can you sound so confident? You are clearly very attached to Mr. Diskence and to Ms. Arks. Could you tell us what your relationship is to Ms. Arks?"

She scowled a little at him, and answered firmly. "We're old friends."

"Oh, is that what we're calling it now?" There were a few chuckles from the back. "How long have you known Ms. Arks?"

She continued her scowl. "About seven years."

"It looks like you've worked with her a lot, is that correct?" Charlotte nodded, but did not respond. "So, even if you are not biased towards Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence, it is safe to say there is a bias to Ms. Arks?"

"Your honor, I object. The relationship between Ms. Miller and I are not on trial here." Sephiria stood from the desk to address the judge.

Mako spoke to the judge as well. "Your honor, my point is simple. Detective Miller should not be a credible witness because of her personal relationship and history to Mr. Heatnert, Mr. Diskence, **and** Ms. Arks. There is too much bias here for her to make a fair statement."

Now Charlotte was getting mad. "I've been in law enforcement long enough to know when to separate my personal emotions from the job."

"Really? Because it seems like you're getting angry just talking about it." Mako scowled at her as well now.

Charlotte was about to say something in return, but was interrupted by the judge's gavel.

"That's enough Mr. Mako, Detective Miller. I am inclined to agree with the defense and would like to ask you to step off the stand, detective. The jury will disregard the witness' testimony."

The woman scowled at Mako one more time who smirked confidently. She stood and walked away briskly, taking her seat again as Sephiria avoided her gaze. This was a shocking turn of events for them both. Someone who had been a credible witness now just had her entire testimony thrown out due to a technicality.

Creed frowned at both women and felt his anxiety rise. They were two people he admired most in the world and couldn't believe this man was able to reduce them to a biased relationship. It hurt to watch, but he needed to stay positive. He closed his eyes and imagined Train in his head, feeling himself calm down at the vision he smiled and opened his eyes again, ready for what would come next.

"I would like to call my next witness, your honor." She turned so she was addressing the entire court. "The prosecution would like to call Amy Tanaka to the stand."

Creed smiled as the woman stood and approached the bench. He also knew she would be testifying. There were other teachers from his high school that testified on his behalf as well, but Tanaka was probably the best teacher testimony they could get, since she saw Creed's feelings for Train from the first day of freshman year. The woman had both of them all four years for her history class, so she also knew both Train and Creed very well.

Tanaka took the stand with a very serious face, one Creed was not used to. She was normally a very kindhearted woman and he had never really seen another side to her. However, the silver man did not take it personally. He knew that's what they all needed to do.

Creed's former teacher was sworn in and sat behind the stand. She looked at Sephiria who had not approached the bench yet and spoke to her without making eye contact.

"Please state your name for the court."

"Amy Tanaka."

"Could you please state your relationship to Mr. Diskence and Mr. Heartnet?"

Tanaka crossed her legs and folded her hands on her knees. "They are both former students of mine."

"What did you teach them?" Sephiria still did not look at her, instead continued looking through her notes.

"History from ninth grade to twelfth grade."

"Oh wow, you taught them all four years of high school?" Sephiria asked with a small smile, finally looking at the woman.

The teacher nodded. "Yes."

Sephiria stepped closer. "Do you still teach?"

"Yes, I'm going on my tenth year."

Sephiria nodded. "Congratulations on that, it's a difficult career." Tanaka smiled, but did not respond. "So, would you say you know them both pretty well?"

Tanaka nodded. "Yes."

"And how would you describe their relationship?"

"Very close. I partnered them together their senior year for a final project and Mr. Diskence was actually able to help Mr. Heartnet raise his grade."

Sephiria nodded. "Could you explain what you mean by that?"

"Mr. Heartnet always struggled in school and after learning about his personal life today, I understand why. However, Mr. Diskence grades were always the best. He was sitting easily at the top of their class all four years, so I partnered him with Mr. Heartnet in hopes that he would give Train the push he needed." Tanaka looked at Creed and smiled. "It worked. I've never seen Train get such high grades. They made a great team."

Creed smiled at her in return, happy to hear her say that. The questions continued like that and Tanaka answered every one of them gracefully and truthfully. She was another witness that had nothing but great things to say about him and his beloved, so Creed decided to enjoy it until the defense began asking questions.

When Sephiria sat down, Mako stood and approached Tanaka quickly, much like he did Saya. His style seemed to be trying to catch the witnesses by surprise, and it worked almost every time.

"Ms. Tanaka, you said their relationship was close, correct?" Mako spoke fast, but Tanaka was still able to understand him.

"Yes." She answered again firmly, not wavering her response.

"But from what we've heard from previous witnesses, they only began friendship their senior year, correct?" Tanaka nodded hesitantly. "Then can you really attest to what their relationship was the other three years?"

Tanaka nodded again, this time more confidently. "Yes, as I said before, I had them all four years of high school."

"Yes, that's true, but it sounds like there wasn't a relationship between them to watch until their senior year, correct?" Another slow nod. "Ms. Tanaka, what level of history do you teach?"

She blinked and glanced at Sephiria and Creed quickly. "I teach some remedial classes along with the general education classes."

Mako nodded. "You and several of his professors for former teachers have attested to Mr. Diskence superior intelligence, is that correct?"

"...Yes, Creed was a very bright child and it sounds like he is still doing very well in school as an adult." She was watching him carefully, knowing what he had done to the other credible witnesses.

"Yes, it sounds like Mr. Diskence is very gifted." Mako stood in front of the jury, his back facing Tanaka as he spoke. "Don't you think the higher level courses would have provided more of a challenge for him?"

Tanaka was quiet for a minute before responding. "Creed would have done well in the high level courses, yes."

"So, why do you think such a smart young man would take lower level classes?" Mako already knew the answer, but wanted Tanaka to say it out loud.

She stared at his back, then hesitantly answered. "... Probably because he wanted to take the same classes as Train…"

Mako smiled and turned around. "Did you know about Mr. Diskence obsession with Mr. Heartnet before he had even confessed it?"

Tanaka again stared at him. "It wasn't an obsession. It was a crush."

The lawyer brushed her words away and stepped back towards her. "Call it what you like. How did you know? Did Mr. Diskence ever tell you?" She shook her head, so Mako pushed harder. "Then how did you know?"

The teacher was silent for a while, then looked at Creed apologetically and lowered her head. She understood what Mako was trying to do now, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Tanaka knew she had to answer the question.

"Creed left a rose on Train's desk every day before class."

A few mumbles could be heard in the room that Mako ignored to continue his examination. "Every day? For four years?"

Tanaka nodded, but did not look at him.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Mako asked curiously.

Now the teacher looked at him, a bit annoyed. "Because it wasn't hurting anyone. It was a sweet gesture made by a young man who had an innocent crush on a classmate."

Mako rolled his eyes and leaned on the stand she was behind. "Innocent crush? You call a man who lowered his standards of education to stalk a young man and stake out his desk every day to leave a rose on it as **innocent**? Let me ask you this, if Mr. Heartnet was a woman, would you view Mr. Diskence's gestures as innocent?"

"Objection!" Sephiria shouted reflectively.

Mako and the judge looked at her, ready for her to state why she objected, but Sephiria found herself at a loss for words. "Ms. Arks, if you do not have a reason as to why you object, then I will ask you to have a seat and let Mr. Mako to continue."

She remained standing for a little longer, then finally sat. Mako smiled and turned back to the teacher. Tanaka stared at him, unable to speak, not sure how to respond to his question, then looked away quickly.

"...I can't say for sure how I would have reacted in the circumstances you described." Her voice was quiet and fast, but audible nonetheless.

Mako's smile never faded. "Yes, I guess that is hard to say for sure, but I think your answer speaks volumes. What some may view as an innocent crush, others may view has an obsessed stalker." He walked away from the teacher and waved his hand in the air. "No more questions, your honor."

The judge nodded and looked at Sephiria. "Your next witness, Ms. Arks?"

The lawyer was quiet, then stood strongly. "I'd like to call Mr. Diskence to the stand."

Creed took a deep breath and stood, but not before Saya could give his shoulder another squeeze. He smiled at the girl, then at his other friends who were trying to give him an encouraging look. Sephiria smiled kindly at him for a split second, then went back to business. The examination went very similarly to how it had gone before, which Creed had expected. Both lawyers were repeating their questioning for the new jury.

The biggest difference was Sephiria now had picture and video evidence of Train and Creed's relationships. She showed him and the jury several pictures and asked Creed to cite a date and describe the event they were at. This part the silver man actually enjoyed, since he got to relive fond memories he had with his cat. He could tell as he was speaking, his love for Train showed.

Convincing a room full of people how much he loved his cat was the easiest thing Creed had ever done. With each picture was a different memory, one that the law student was more than pleased to talk about. He knew his eyes were shining bright with adoration when he spoke about his beloved, and he knew his words were hitting the jurors on a deep level. There were several times Creed saw jurors smiling brightly or even choking up when he talked about how much he loved Train. Really, he didn't have to convince anyone of his devotion to Train. It was a matter of them believing Train's devotion to him.

When Sephiria finished Mako approached. Again, Creed expected more of the same except this time he was ready and could better control his emotions. He also did not have to be the one to pull out the pictures and videos since they were already shown. The lawyer also did not have any physical evidence to disprove his partnership with Train. All he had were words and theories, nothing of actual proof.

"Mr. Diskence, you've stated several times that you love Mr. Heartnet, yes?"

Creed nodded, but did not answer.

"How often did you tell him?" Mako stood in front of him, looking down at him knowingly.

Creed smiled happily. "Every day."

The law student could hear the jury's adoring response and his smile widened. However, Mako's smile did not fade, which worried him.

"How often did Mr. Heartnet tell you he loved you?"

Creed felt his blood go cold at the question. He was ready for everything today, including the video of his cat being attacked, but he was not ready for this.

Seeing Creed did not respond, the lawyer restated his question. "Did Mr. Heartnet **ever** tell you he loved you?"

Again, Creed was quiet. He could not look at anyone else except for the man standing in front of him. All his energy was going into controlling his emotions. He couldn't show any form of negative outbursts since that would only give the defense what they wanted. However, despite himself, a single tear left Creed's control and Mako smiled victoriously.

"I see. You have all these wonderful stories and amazing memories with Mr. Heartnet, but you never heard him say those three words everyone yearns to hear from their partner. That must have hurt, didn't it?"

Creed took a deep breath and kept his stare firm on the lawyer, but his mind created a picture of Train in his head, giving him the strength to not break down. Although his cat was not there with him physically, he knew Train was there with him spiritually. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel his love pushing him forward, telling him not to give up, to keep fighting and have hope.

"Train doesn't need to say it to make it true." Creed said finally, his voice strong and sure as he locked eyes with Mako.

"That's a nice story you tell yourself, isn't it?" Mako rolled his eyes and stepped away from the young man.

Creed shook his head. "It's not a story. Yes, I would love to hear Train say those three words, but I **know** Train. He is not a man of words, he is a man of actions. And these actions-" He gestured to the pictures laid out before him on the stand. "-Speak much louder than any words."

Mako ignored his statement in favor of his questions, pacing the room as he spoke to Creed.

"Well, you can tell yourself what you'd like, Mr. Diskence, but I think history will speak for itself." The silver man eyed him curiously, but continued his examination. "You're feelings for Mr. Heartnet are indeed very powerful. I don't think there's a single person in this room who did not feel touched by the power of your love for him."

Creed didn't respond, just braced himself for what would come next. "I would imagine with how long you loved him, it must have hurt to know he didn't know you existed for such a long time. Is that true?"

Again, no response, but Mako knew what Creed's silence meant. "Loving someone so deeply, so intensely for so long would drive anyone insane. I wouldn't you agree?"

Creed stared at the lawyer as he turned to face him. "Having such strong emotions for someone who won't even give you the time day could cause someone to fall off the edge and force something on them, right? Just like that kiss you forced on Mr. Heartnet in the library?"

Creed watched him a bit more intensely. "You're blowing that day out of proportion."

Mako smiled. "Am I really? Or was that foreshadowing the future of your relationship with Mr. Heartnet?" Creed did not answer, so the lawyer continued. "You have a history of violent and strange behavior, especially when it involved Mr. Heartnet. It is so far fetched to believe that you scared Mr. Heartnet to the point where he felt he had no choice but to give you what you wanted, so you wouldn't hurt him or anyone he **actually** cared about?"

Creed narrowed his eyes at Mako, not liking where this was going.

"Mr. Heartnet had a lot of admirers, is that true?"

"Yes." Creed answered quickly.

"Including yourself, how many people do you know of that have tried to start some kind of intimate relationship with with Mr. Heartnet?"

He mulled the words around in his head for a bit, then answered. "I would say at least four."

Mako held up all his fingers in one hand. "Five, I think you mean. You forgot Officer Edo."

Creed glared at the officer. "His intentions were not pure."

"So you claim. I would argue he was the first one that was actually strong enough to stand up to you and try to save Mr. Heartnet from your obsessive grasp."

Mako put up a hand before Sephiria could say something, signaling he withdrew his harsh statement. "Let me try again. Don't you think it's a little odd that Mr. Heartnet could have so many viable options available to him in a romantic partner, yet he chose to be with the one who he had ignored for most of his life?"

Creed glowered at him, but said nothing.

"Let's go down the list. "Kyoko Kirisaki, never had a shot, correct? Because you were alway in the way. You never allowed anyone else the room to even attempt at relationship with Mr. Heartnet."

"Kyoko had a boyfriend and Train had zero interest in her." Creed spoke loudly and confidently. No one in the room would deny that fact. There was way too much evidence to support it.

Mako nodded. "Then let's move on. Do you remember Oliver Jones?" Creed nodded slowly and the man continued. "We'll be speaking with him in more depth later to learn his story later, but isn't it true he also had feelings for Mr. Heartnet that could not be pursued because Mr. Heartnet was scared of setting you off?"

This time it was hard for Creed to contain his anger. Knowing that the nurse was going to come back and testify against them, but also the way the lawyer twisted the story to make it seem like Creed had made Train reject him for his own selfish wants.

"That's not what-"

"-Did Mr. Jones have feelings for Mr. Heartnet, yes or no?"

Creed stared at him, then nodded.

The lawyer continued, leaning on the stand in front of Creed to stare him down. "And then, there was Saya Minatsuki. Mr. Heartnet's best friend since he was five-years-old. If anyone had a chance with Mr. Heartnet, it was her, right?"

Again, no response as Creed used all of his strength to control his emotions.

"How does it make sense that his best friend did not know about his personal situation, but you, a man Mr. Heartnet barely knew, not only knew everything about him, but was also able to start an intimate relationship with him when she was not? How did she fail where you succeeded?"

It didn't matter what Creed said to that, so he kept his mouth shut. It was better to give him less to work with. The man was clearly on a certain path and the silver man had no chance of deterring him.

"You knew everything about Mr. Heartnet because you stalked him his entire life. You studied him to find out what his weaknesses were so you could exploit them and blackmail him into being with you. In high school, you used his home life as a way to worm your way into financially supporting him, forcing him to rely on you to keep a roof over his head."

"That's-" Creed tried to fight back, but Mako didn't give him a chance to rebuttal.

"You used his kind heart and care for his friends and people in general against him. You already had him on the rope by paying his rent for him, but you needed to make sure anyone he cared about would stay away. To do that, you secretly threatened him and frightened potential partners away until he finally caved in and gave you what you wanted. You were able to scare him so badly, that he convinced all of his friends that not only were you **also** their friend, but that he was happy to be with you."

The courtroom fell silent. Creed didn't know what to say. He didn't know how the man found out about him helping pay for Train's rent in high school. It was beyond him how he could not only obtain such information, but find a way to twist it and use it against him. He didn't know how Mako found out about the roses, about how long he had loved Train. While he knew everything the man said was not true, Creed had no proof. It was his word against a powerful lawyer's and he felt lost in his response.

Seeing he had broken Creed, Mako smiled and stepped away. "And then, Officer Edo stepped into the picture. He saw the quiet abuse happening to Mr. Heartnet and couldn't stand by and let it happen. He tried to save Officer Heartnet from your suffocating control, but you wouldn't give up and chased him down the night he finally decided to leave you, resulting in the tragic event that brings us here today."

The lawyer pointed to the pictures in front of Creed. "All these pictures prove is your utter obsession with Mr. Heartnet and his inability to free himself from your selfish hold."

Creed lowered his eyes to the pictures and felt a tear fall as he looked at them all. To have his memories with Train, his life with his cat, the love he felt for the man reduced to a simple obsession hurt beyond belief. He knew it wasn't true, but it was too painful to hear come from another person's mouth.

"It's not true…" Creed whispered, but Mako did not care as he walked away and back to his clients.

"Keep telling yourself that. No further questions."

Sephiria stood loudly, clearly angry at what she had just witnessed. "Your honor, I'd like to approach the witness again."

The judge looked confused, but gestured for her to move forward. Sephiria pulled up a video, one Creed had been mentally preparing himself to see.

"I was going to save this for Officer Edo's testimony, but seeing as Mr. Mako is insistent that Mr. Diskence treated my client so terribly and Officer Edo was an angel sent to save Mr. Heartnet from an abusive relationship, I think now is as good a time as any."

The woman hit play on the video and stepped away, allowing the video to speak for itself. Creed's eyes grew wide as he watched the scene. He watched as his cat struggled and called for help, he watched as Edo hit him repeatedly, bit him harshly, drawing blood as he laughed at Train's pain. Creed saw his beloved claw at him desperately, choking on a gag that was shoved in his mouth as tears swelled in his eyes. When he saw Edo grab and twist his love painfully in his most delicate area, Creed felt a rage grow in him that he had never felt before. Not even when he found Izo beating Train to a pulp all those years ago had he felt such a rage. Tears still fell from his face, but this time they weren't from sadness.

When the video ended, the silver man almost lost his cool and was about to stand abruptly to run at the officer, but he was beat to the anger outburst by Edo, who jumped from his chair quickly and pointed furiously at the screen showing his attack.

"THAT BITCH IT TAKING THAT VIDEO OUT OF CONTEXT! THAT'S HOW HEARTNET LIKES IT!"

The judge banged her gavel loudly and glared at the officer. "Sit down, officer!"

Edo slammed his hands on the table, Mako trying to calm him down as Clark avoided the whole scene, including the video that was being played.

"SHE HAS NO RIGHT PLAYING A PRIVATE MOMENT BETWEEN ME AND MY LOVER TO AN ENTIRE ROOM FULL OF STRANGERS!"

Sephiria looked at him strangely. "This is what we're here for, you should have been prepared to air out your dirty laundry."

The officer made a move towards Sephiria, making Clark and the bailiff jump him to restrain him. The judge called for order as Sephiria stood her ground bravely.

"OFFICER EDO, IF YOU DO NOT CONTROL YOURSELF I WILL HOLD YOU IN CONTEMPT!"

Finally, the man calmed down and Sephiria stared at him coolly. Once he was back in his seat, brushing off his lawyer and Clark's hands, he buried his head in his hands, refusing to look at anyone else in the room. The woman turned back to the jury, folding her arms behind her back as she addressed them.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please ask yourselves: How does the video between my client and Officer Edo compare to the many videos and pictures between Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence? Do you really think it's possible for someone to fake **that** level of happiness when they can clearly react-" She pointed to the screen that had a zoomed in image of Train's angry and scared face. "-In such a terrifying, desperate way?"

She turned to the judge. "No further questions, your honor."

As she stepped away, the judge stood to address the court. "At this time we will take a short recess for the defense to prepare their witnesses. We will reconvene in twenty minutes."

As banged her gavel and the room filled with voices. Creed was left sitting at the stand dumbfounded. He was grateful Edo had reacted before him, because he could have just blown the whole case. The silver man barely realized as Saya walked up to him, wrapping him in a tight hug and whispering soothing words into his ears. Sven and Eve stood in front of the stand as well, Tanaka behind them with a sad look on her face.

He couldn't hear or feel anything. The numbness from when his cat first fell into the coma returned. Creed couldn't shake the images of his cat struggling to breath under Edo's hand, his fingers digging into the older man's skin as he tried to escape from something he very obviously did not want. He felt a tear fall from his eye that was wiped away by Saya, which finally brought his attention to her.

She smiled kindly. "You did great, Creed."

He blinked at her. "Really? Because I feel like shit."

Saya nodded and helped him off the stand. "Yup! I don't think I would have been able to control myself if I was you. That was a hard video to watch."

The group fell quiet as they thought about that. While Creed's examination by the defense was hard to watch, that video was worse. The silver man knew they were going to have questions about Train's life in high school, but he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. He nodded at his friends and walked out of the courtroom with them. They all needed this break, knowing the worst was yet to come.

* * *

The break ended far too quickly for Creed. All his friends tried to get him to eat something, but he couldn't. The video of his beloved's attack kept playing in his head. He knew it was going to be hard to watch, but there was not enough time in eternity to prepare him for what he just saw and he felt sick.

Sephiria warned him that the worst was not over. It was the defense's turn to call witness and Creed didn't think it was possible to get any worse. He was soon proven wrong as the examination went under way.

There was an array of people from his school that he did not really remember. They all claimed to have seen Creed reacting violently at school, but overall the silver man didn't think their stories held much merritt. None of them really knew who Creed was, didn't share any classes with him, and also didn't spend any time with Train. In general, it was clear what the defense was trying to do with these witnesses, but their stories weren't exactly strong.

Creed was shocked when his former teacher Kenta was called to the stand. This was the teacher that had gotten him suspended all those years ago for throwing a trash can over Baldor's head. What was more surprising was they called Kenta to the stand, but not Baldor. Creed could only assume that for whatever reason, they couldn't find the moose. Either way it didn't matter. The story did not make Creed look good, but Sephiria stepped up and took control of the situation quickly.

"Mr. Kenta, did you know Mr. Diskence was being severely bullied by this student you are describing?"

Kenta eyed her wearily, then shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kenta, but I find that hard to believe. We've had several teachers and students up here that have testified to seeing my client being harassed by this particular student in the school on a daily basis. In fact, Mr. Fanghini had been suspended for violent behavior more often than my client, hadn't he?"

Kenta nodded quietly, refusing to look at the woman.

"To me, it sounds like Mr. Diskence had enough of his bullying and decided to finally take matters into his own hands since the school clearly was not going to do anything to help him."

Kenta mumbled something under his breath that Sephiria could not hear. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kenta, could you say that again a bit louder so the rest of the court could hear you?"

He sighed and repeated himself. "Diskence was a weird kid."

Sephiria looked at him sternly. "Being weird does not warrant bullying and harassment. Tell me, Mr. Kenta, do you still work at that school?"

"..No." He said irritated, understanding why she made a point to mention that.

The woman nodded. "That's right, you were let go to because of how poorly you handled students. Is that true?"

He nodded and Sephiria smiled and turned away from him. "No further questions."

It was good seeing how easily the woman was able to break down every witness like that. None of them ever even bothered to get to know Creed. They labeled him as weird and left it at that, but couldn't back up any of their claims to have seen him acting rashly.

The next set of witnesses was harder to watch. These were all people who worked in the police station and swore they saw a relationship forming between Train and Edo. What was worse was they all denied ever hearing Edo or Clark use derogatory terms towards Train. Creed knew they were all either lying or the officers had always made sure to do it when no one else was around.

The real gut puncher was to hear their captain testify that he thought there was something more between the two men than were willing to admit.

"Captain Kanon, is it against policy for two police officers to enter into a romantic relationship?"

The captain shook his head. "No. We don't recommend it, but there is no rule stating it can't happen."

Mako nodded his head and sat down. "No further questions."

The judge looked at Sephiria who was still sitting in her chair, writing a few things down. "Ms. Arks, would you like to cross examine?"

Sephiria nodded, but did not look up. "Captain Kanon, you say that Mr. Heartnet and Officer Edo were often paired in cases together. Why?"

"They worked well together. Several perps were brought in and locked up when they were partnered together."

Sephiria glanced at him quickly. "But didn't the entire station think Mr. Heartnet handled perps much too kindly?"

Kanon nodded. "Yes. That's another reason they were together often. I thought they balanced each other out. Heartnet kept Edo calm and Edo kept Heartner on his toes."

"So my client was Officer Edo's keeper?"

Kanon blinked then shook his head. "No. Edo can handle himself."

"Yes, a bit too well I would say." She stood and walked over to the captain. "I have here in my notes that Officer Edo was known for bringing in low grade crimes such as petty theft. However, I see here that Mr. Heartnet once brought in a man who was walking into a church with a loaded gun. Could you tell me what happened to that man?"

Kanon glared at her. "He was released."

"Why?" She asked quickly, not giving him a moment to think.

His glare remained painted on his face. "Technicalities."

"Is that code for money?" Sephiria pointed at a certain part of her notes and showed Kanon where she was referring to. "I see here his father made a huge donation to the station and the next day he was free. That seems like a big coincidence, don't you think?"

Kanon looked away from the notes and shrugged his shoulders. "That's all it is. A coincidence."

Sephiria returned his gesture and walked away. Her point was made. "Moving on, let's get back to Officer Edo and my client's supposed relationship. My understanding is Officer Edo requested to be partnered with Mr. Heartnet pretty much any time they were working the same shift, correct?"

Kanon nodded. "Correct."

"Did Mr. Heartnet ever request to be partnered with Officer Edo?"

The captain sat there and said nothing, then shook his head.

Sephiria nodded. "In fact, from what I see here, Mr. Heartnet often requested to **not** be partnered with Officer Edo. Is that true?"

Kanon sighed, then nodded. "Yes. But he never filed any complaints about Edo's supposed discriminatory comments."

The woman brushed his words aside. "Yes, yes, we've established that. However, from what I've heard from your employees it wasn't exactly a welcoming environment for Mr. Heartnet. I don't blame him for not feeling safe enough to file a complaint."

"If Officer Hearnet had a problem, then he should have said something to me. I would have looked into it." Kanon replied confidently.

Sephiria tilted her head curiously. "You're saying Mr. Heartnet never voiced any concerns? Even the night he was suspended?"

Kanon sighed and nodded. "Yes. He did voice a complaint that night. But he never filed any."

"The point isn't whether or not there was a paper trail, it's your knowledge that my client had concerns about how Officer Clark and Edo treated him?"

The captain nodded defeatedly, knowing there was no way around it.

"From the conversation that we've had, I think it is safe to assume that while Officer Edo requested to constantly be paired with Mr. Heartnet, my client made specific requests to **not** be paired with him. On top of that, even though there were not official complaints made, Mr. Heartnet did verballying complain about both officers currently on trial. Is that correct?"

A pause, then a nod from the officer. Sephiria turned to the judge. "No further questions your honor."

Next, Clark was called to the stand to recount the events of the night when Train was shot. It was exactly what Creed expected. He changed the story to sound more dramatic and added Creed in there during a time that made no sense. His story wasn't consistent, and the silver man hoped the jury would see that.

"Next thing I knew, Mr. Diskence was jumping on Officer Edo's back and clawing at his face. At that point, Officer Heartnet was trying to protect Officer Edo, but Mr. Diskence was beyond help. The man was **hysterical** and between him and Goto trying to escape, I had no choice but to shoot. Unfortunately, I missed and got Heartnet by mistake."

Mako nodded and patted the man's shoulder. "Thank you for sharing your story. I know it wasn't easy to share."

Creed rolled his eyes at the display. Clark didn't show any signs of remorse so giving him fake sympathy was idiotic. As Mako walked away, Sephiria approached quickly, question ready like a loaded gun.

"Officer Clark, I'm sorry, I'm going through all my notes and I can't seem to make sense of your story. What time are you claiming Mr. Diskence arrived?"

The man thought then responded. "Around ten."

Sephiria squinted at her notes, then showed them to Clark. "But, right here you said he got there at nine-thirty. Which is it?"

The officer rolled his eyes. "I didn't check my watch. I'm just guessing at the time."

The woman shrugged. "Sure wish we had some video footage. Tell me again why your body cams and the dash cam on the car were turned off?"

He glared at her. "Batteries were dead."

She blinked at him. "That seems strange. I thought you weren't allowed to start a patrol unless all cameras were fully charged."

Clark avoided her eyes. "We made a mistake. It happens."

"That's a very convenient mistake to make, don't you think?" Clark didn't answer so she continued. "And you were at the Goto house looking for drugs, correct?"

"Yes."

"Did you find any?"

Clark shook his head.

"Then why was Mr. Goto tazed?"

"He was trying to run."

Sephiria frowned. "I thought he was tazed for trying to help Mr. Diskence attack Officer Edo?"

Clark sighed. "Yes. That's right. Sorry, it's been a long couple of weeks."

"It has for all of us, Officer Clark, but at least we're able to keep our stories straight." She paced the room as Clark glared at her. "Remind me, what was Mr. Diskence wearing?"

"Black pajamas." He answered quickly, hoping his fast response would give him credibility back.

"And you said he arrived with a knife?"

Clark nodded.

"Where did he pull it from?" Sephiria asked as she stopped in front of him again.

"His pocket." Again, he answered quickly.

Sephiria chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's just an odd scene to picture. My client is by no means a large man. Seeing such a petite man approach two heavily armed, large police officers wearing pajamas and only carrying a knife is strangely humorous to me."

"Laugh all you want, it's true. He came running up screaming that Heartnet belonged to him and tried to stab Officer Edo."

Sephiria nodded. "Now, is this before or after he jumped on Officer Edo's back?"

Clark stopped and thought about it. "Before. No-After."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Which is it?"

He growled a little at the woman. "It was a crazy night. Once he showed up it was utter chaos. I don't remember much of what happened."

Sephiria rolled her eyes. "If you can't keep up with a little chaos, then I suggest you find a new career path." She paced the room again. "Officer Edo was unharmed, correct?"

Clark nodded.

"While I know Mr. Diskence isn't very large especially compared to you both, but how it is possible he couldn't get a single slice on Officer Edo while literally climbing on his back?"

The officer shrugged his shoulders. "Like you said. He's small. Edo was able to get him off real quick."

Sephiria stopped and stared him down. "You do realize the attacked that happened to Mr. Diskence in high school was with a man approximately the same size as you? And he was able to defend himself well enough then?"

Clark ignored her, so Sephiria continued. "I just don't see how it's possible to not even get one slice at point blank range. Again, I wish we had video evidence to help with this conundrum."

The questioning continued like for a while more. Sephiria completely took apart his entire story, leaving the jury to wonder what really happened that night. The best part was the Gotos' testimony matched perfectly to one another and never changed. Neither Edo nor Clark were able keep their story straight and they did not match at all. After a few more minutes, Clark was dismissed and Edo was called to testify.

His examination went very similarly to Clark's with the exception of more talk about his relationship with Train. Creed could barely contain his gagging as he described a fictional relationship. The officer even went as far as producing fake tears. Mako handed him tissues and told him he was sorry. The silver man growled next to Sephiria, which made the woman pat his shoulder reassuringly.

"Look at the jury, they're not buying it." Sephiria whispered to him with a knowing smirk.

Creed looked over at the jury who honestly seemed put off by the crying man. He sighed in relief then smiled back at her. Their reaction was the polar opposite of when Creed was on the stand.

"Love isn't something you can fake, Mr. Diskence." She squeezed his shoulder then returned to the pathetic scene unfolding in front of her.

"Last question, Officer Edo. Have you ever called Mr. Heartnet a derogatory word in terms of his sexual life?"

Edo shook his head violently. "No. I would never say something like that to him."

Mako smiled and gave him a kind smile. "No further questions."

Sephiria was on him faster than a lion on a gazelle. "Officer Edo, I have to say this sensitive side of you would have been much more helpful back when you had that outburst at seeing that video."

Edo scowled at her. "I was angry that you would show such a personal part of my relationship without the consent of my partner."

Creed had to stifle a growl when he called Train his partner. He felt Saya rub his back, which was helpful in calming him down.

"You knew this was happening today. You should have prepared yourself." Sephiria paced in front of him as she spoke, very much like a predator getting ready to eat its prey.

Edo scoffed and pointed at Creed. "I didn't see him react at all to the video."

Sephiria cocked an eyebrow. "Just because he didn't react angrily, doesn't mean he didn't react. You needed to be ushered out of here so quickly that you didn't get the chance to see the pain in this young man's eyes."

Edo rolled his eyes. "That sounds like a very calm reaction to me. If he really thought I was attacking someone he claimed was his lover, I would expect a bigger reaction."

"Which is it, Officer Edo? Is Mr. Diskence too calm and collected for your liking, or too violent and unpredictable like he was that night he attacked you with a knife?"

The officer bit his lip and cursed quietly, realizing he walked right into her trap. Sephiria looked at him coolly, her serious demeanor never changing as she continued to pace in front of him.

She proceeded to poke holes in his story the night of the shooting, much like she did with Clark. By the end of that line of questioning, Edo was left speechless and angry. He was clenching his fists tightly, biting his lip and grinding his teeth. Sephiria did not react to anything. The fact that she was so calm and collected only enraged him more. They moved on from the shooting and to his made up relationship with Train.

"Officer Edo, when did your relationship with Mr. Heartnet begin?" Sephiria asked as she checked her notes.

"April thirteenth."

"Huh…" Sephiria said, flipping through some pages. "So it didn't begin that day at the station?"

He shook his head. "No. That was when the sexual part began."

"Interesting…" She tapped her notes, the sound setting off the officer even more. "Did you know April thirteenth is Mr. Heartnet's birthday?"

Edo stopped himself from looking surprised and nodded his head. "Yes. That's why I took him out."

"Well, the reason I say that's interesting is that was the same day Mr. Diskence planned a surprise party for Mr. Heartnet that all his friends claimed to have attended."

Edo stared at her quietly, silently kicking himself for being so stupid. Instead of showing his frustrated signs, he scoffed and crossed his arms. "Of course he would get his friends to back him up. I assure you, Heartnet was with me that night."

"You see, I would believe that if it weren't for two things." She held up one finger as she made her first point. "One: Your lawyer has led the jury to believe that Mr. Diskence was keeping Mr. Heartnet hostage and essentially scared my client so much that he convinced his friends he was happy with Mr. Diskence. Why would they go along with a lie about a surprise birthday party if it didn't happen?"

Before Edo could respond, she continued.

"And two-" She held up two fingers. "We have eye witness accounts of the wait staff at the sushi restaurant they went to."

Mako stood. "Objection! Why were these witnesses not called?"

Sephiria answered. "If Mr. Mako checks his notes, he'll see they are on the witness list for tomorrow's trial."

The lawyer checked his notes then growled, sitting down and withdrawing his objection. Sephiria nodded and turned back to Edo.

"Could you please tell us where you took Mr. Heartnet on your first date?"

Edo would not look at her as he spoke. "We didn't go out. He came over later that night once he was done with his charade of a party with his fake lover."

Sephiria frowned. "But you just said you took him out."

Edo waved her words away. "It's just an expression."

"Another convenient truth we cannot prove or disprove. You and Officer Clark seem to be full of those." No response from the officer so the woman continued drilling him as hard as she could. "Since you are so embarrassed by the tape between you and Mr. Heartnet I won't play it again. Frankly, I've seen it enough for one lifetime myself."

Another quiet growl from Edo as she continued.

"This is what I'm having a hard time figuring out. You say what happened on the tape is what Mr. Heartnet likes. However, no matter what kind of BDSM you're into, I didn't see anything in that video that showed signs of pleasure from my client. And when I compare them to the videos and pictures of Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence, they just seem… Off."

She paused and looked at Edo. "I guess I just can't understand how someone could be so unhappy with someone else, yet have endless pictures and videos showing how deliriously happy they are."

"It was all an act. Diskence forced Heartnet to record and take those. Diskence just wanted them for his sick pleasure."

Sephiria nodded. "I see. Just seems strange to me. I've been a lawyer for many abusive relationships that ended poorly, and I've never seen someone who was such a **good** actor. I think Mr. Heartnet might have picked the wrong career."

Edo tried to flip the script and laughed at her small joke. "I used to tell Heartnet that all the time when he vented to me."

Sephiria eyed him strangely. "I'm curious, why do you call him by his last name? For someone who is so **involved** with him personally, I just find it strange that you wouldn't call him by his first name."

The officer paused, no sure how to respond. "It's… Just our thing. All of us at the station call each other by our last names. It's a force of habit at this point."

"Really? That's what you're going with?" Sephiria sounded like she didn't believe him, but moved on anyway. "Did it hurt that Mr. Heartnet never wanted to be paired with you? Or him accusing you of calling him inflammatory names?"

Edo clenched his fists again, trying to control his rage. "No. He was doing that so Diskence wouldn't find out."

"How would Mr. Diskence find out if you were paired together?"

The officer rolled his eyes. "He **stalked** Heartnet. With everything else he was able to find out about my partner, we didn't put it past him to find that out."

"But then why did **you** keep requesting **him**? Wouldn't Mr. Diskence still find out and grow jealous?"

Edo didn't answer, which was the only answer Sephiria needed. "If you don't want to respond, that's fine. I think we all know what the answer is. I bet it must have hurt knowing he went home to Mr. Diskence every night. That they shared the same apartment, the same bed. That **your** lover would lay in the arms of another man every night. I can't say that wouldn't make me mad."

She could see the man's face growing red as she spoke and decided to push even harder.

"It also must have hurt knowing you couldn't protect Mr. Hearnet from such an abusive relationship. I mean, just look at Mr. Diskence."

Creed blushed a little as everyone looked at him. He knew he wasn't the strongest looking guy. It was the product of growing up in an abusive house. Creed had never received the proper nutrition and care, so he didn't fill out how an adult his age normally would. It didn't bother him because Train was with him despite that. In fact, he thought his cat enjoyed Creed's size, so he didn't make any efforts to really change it.

Sephiria smirked as Edo's face grew more red. His legs were shaking vigorously and his fists were clenched so tight she was beginning to wonder if he was going to draw blood. She kept pushing his buttons, knowing he was about ready to pop.

"Yeah, I guess I'd feel bad if I looked like you and couldn't protect the person I claim to love from someone who is half my size. Did you ever even try? Did you ever even think about approaching Mr. Diskence and taking matters into your own hands? I mean, you're a **cop**. You have the proper training and the proper resources. If anyone would be capable of saving Mr. Heartnet, it would be you."

Edo slammed his hand on the table and stood quickly. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME, BITCH?!"

The courtroom erupted in gasps at his outburst and the judge called for order. Sephiria turned to look at Creed and winked, knowing she had caught her prey, now it was time to go for the kill. Once everyone was calmed down again, the tall blonde cleared her throat and straightened her suit jacket.

"Sorry if I've offended you, Officer Edo. I didn't think you were capable of such language."

The officer sat down and growled, once more seeing that he had fallen right into her trap. He took a deep breath and rubbed his legs with the palms of his hands. "I apologize to the court for the crash language. It's very difficult being here and knowing your lover is in a coma with only the company of his stalker. I can't even **see him** , your honor."

He tried to sound sympathetic, but Sephiria was waiting for this moment. "But, Officer Edo, I just saw you in the hospital this morning. You were standing outside Mr. Heartnet's room harassing Mr. Diskence."

More mumbles from the courtroom when the woman said this. Even Mako looked shocked. Edo glanced at his lawyer who looked furious, cursing once more to himself as he glared at Sephiria again. Once more, she was calm and collected, never letting her emotions show which only helped in pissing the officer off more.

"I just wanted to see him…" The statement was supposed to sound wistful, but instead sounded angry as he spoke through clenched teeth.

Sephiria nodded. "And you did. It was a good thing Detective Miller was there to keep you under control. I was beginning to worry what might happen if you weren't escorted out."

Edo's face was red again, his eyes daring the woman to keep going. "Afterall, you've already established that men half your size scares you, I can't imagine how a powerful **woman** makes you feel."

The officer stood and screamed more curses at her, trying to climb over the stand to attack her. The judge banged her gavel as the bailiff and some other officers jumped to restrain him. Sephiria smiled coolly at the scene unfolding before her, then addressed the jury one more time.

"It seems the defendant has confused you with who the unstable man in the room is." She pointed at Creed, who was sitting calmly and quietly in his seat. "Does this man **really** look that dangerous to you?"

Edo was still fuming, but stopped yelling.

Sephiria glanced at the officer one more time. "Or does the man spewing threats behind the witness stand look dangerous?" She walked away. "No further questions, your honor."

* * *

Court was adjourned for the day and would reconvene the following day. That would be the final day of the trial. They all left to head back to the hospital to see Train. Creed hadn't received any calls from the hospital, but he still wanted to get back quickly just in case his love woke up.

However, before he left he was shocked at a familiar man who approached him. He was very large and used to haunt Creed's nightmares with his constant bullying. But there was something different about his demeanor. Something that made Creed stop and have a conversation with him.

"Creed…" Baldor said quietly, bowing to him slightly.

Creed and his friends stared at the man, not sure what to say. Saya moved a little closer to her silver friend, just in case, but Creed wasn't going to back down.

"Baldor… What are you doing here?" Creed asked quietly.

He sighed and put his hands on his hips. "I… Wanted to apologize… For everything…"

Creed didn't respond. He couldn't, this was so out of character for his old bully that it was just impossible to comprehend.

Seeing the silver man wasn't going to respond, Baldor continued. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear it and I know this is the worst time for it, but it's part of my program and I also just really wanted to do it. After everything you and Train have been through, I feel like I owe it to you for more than one reason."

He spoke quickly, as if he didn't Creed would walk away and never hear him out again. Baldor looked at his friends, then at Creed. "Could we… Maybe speak in private."

Saya made a step forward, but was stopped by Creed. He smiled at her and gestured for her to step back. "I've got this, Saya."

All three of his friends blinked at him. Creed had made such strides since high school, but this was a different level especially without Train here to support him. Baldor had tormented him his entire life, and they couldn't believe he was willing to hear him out let alone do it on his own.

Despite this, Saya smiled and stepped away. "We'll be right over here if you need us."

Creed turned to talk to Baldor and Saya smiled. It was nice seeing how much her friend had grown and changed over the years.

The silver man folded his arms and looked up at Baldor. He was still much larger than Creed, but after everything he'd been through, he wasn't afraid of him anymore. "Go ahead. Talk."

Baldor sighed. "First of all, I wanted to know how Train was doing? I… Heard what happened and I just want to know that he's okay."

Creed cocked an eyebrow at him, confused at his concern. "He's stable, but he's in a coma. We're going back to him now in case he wakes up."

The larger man nodded. "I guess that's better than dying…" He paused, trying to think of his words carefully. "Creed… I'm really sorry for the way I treated you as kids. I have no excuse to give you. All I can say is life has humbled me, and I need to make amends for my terrible behavior."

Creed nodded, not sure if he was ready to accept the apology, but willing to hear him out. "Next, I wanted to let you know… The defense wants to call me as a witness."

This made the silver man mad, which Baldor saw and tried to calm him down. "I told them I wouldn't do it and they can't force me to. That actually brings up the next reason I wanted to talk to you."

The law student waited for his next words, unable to fight the curiosity in his eyes as he watched him.

"I would like to be a character witness for you and Train."

This made Creed gawk at him, not sure how to respond. He shook his head a few times, then found enough sense to form a sentence. "Why? What do you get out of that?"

"Nothing." Baldor said firmly. "But, I thought if your previous bully stepped forward and admitted how I got what I deserved that day you were suspended, it might help you out. It's the least I could do for you."

Creed stared at him for a few more minutes, before looking over at Sephiria. "That's our lawyer. You should go talk to her."

Baldor nodded as he glanced at her, then turned back to Creed. "You don't have to accept my apology. My guilt is not your responsibility. I only hope this helps."

Creed watched him approach Sephiria, but didn't know how the conversation went. Saya, Sven, and Eve were back to him, wondering how it went. The silver man brushed them off and walked to the door.

"I'll explain on the way. We need to get to Train."

* * *

Once at the hospital Creed rushed to his cat's side, hoping he was awake. Seeing he wasn't he sighed and sat heavily next to him. The rest of his friends were close behind. Saya, seeing Train for the first time, nearly started to cry. She stopped herself, knowing that wasn't going to help right now.

As they sat and told an unconscious Train about the trial, Creed's friends also asked him questions about some things Mako had said. Creed had to explain what had happened with Train in high school, knowing it might make his beloved mad, but also knowing they deserved the truth at this point. It wasn't worth hiding secrets anymore. He never made sure to apologize to Train before he told his cat's story.

Saya was running her fingers through Train's hair, frowning at his sleeping face. "I can't believe he went through all that without telling us…"

"I can. Train is stubborn and prideful. Of course he wouldn't tell us." Sven sounded a little angry, but also sad at the knowledge that one of his closest friends was struggling more than he was aware of.

Eve sighed heavily as she looked at Train. "He's lucky he had Creed. He seems to be the only one that can get through to him."

Creed shook his head. "Mako did have a point. I kind of forced my money on to him. He didn't want it nor did he ask for it. I just… gave it to him."

Saya huffed at her friend. "Yeah, because you knew Train wouldn't take any help. If it wasn't for you, he probably would have been homeless. You didn't do it with an ulterior motive. You just wanted to help him because you loved him."

Creed smiled longingly at his cat, kissing his hand gently. "I still do…"

They stayed by Train's side for a while, talking as much as they could about the case and past times, hoping something would wake up their stubborn friend. Saya even tried listing off things she knew annoyed the cat, but still nothing.

After a few hours, Sephiria showed up to have a conversation with them. However, when she stepped into the room, she was greeted with an extremely enthusiastic hug from Saya who was beaming brightly at her.

"Ms. Arks you're **amazing!** Creed told me how awesome you were, but I can't **believe** how much ass you kicked today!"

Sephiria looked at her awkwardly, then patted her head and pushed her away. "I'm just doing my job, Ms. Minatsuki."

Saya leapt in the air and gave her another hug. "Call me Saya! We're not in court anymore!"

She gave the young girl an awkward nod, pushed her off again, then addressed Creed. "Mr. Diskence, I know today was rough, but you did well. Just one more day and we'll be done."

Creed nodded and pulled a chair up for her to sit. "I figured you would want to go over what tomorrow will look like. I'm ready to talk."

His hand never let go of Train's as he and Sephiria spoke. His other friends left at one point to get food, Saya promising to bring back something yummy for Creed. Now that the trial was over, the silver man was grateful for the offer. It only just occurred to him he hadn't eaten at all today, and he needed something or else he felt like he would pass out.

As Sephiria laid out the plans and witnesses for tomorrow, Creed had to ask her something. "How did it go with Baldor?"

The lawyer nodded. "Yes, that man. I think he could be helpful. Having an ex-bully not only say he was wrong with the way he treated you, but also say you never fought back except that one time will be a great help to your character. We did a good job with that today, but the biggest problem is we still have nothing to disprove their claims. It all comes down to the word of cops against regular civilians and a criminal."

Creed nodded sadly. "I know…" He looked at his beloved sadly, caressing his cheek lovingly. "We need Train…"

_**I** _ _need Train…_

Sephiria frowned. "Yes. If Train were to wake up and testify your relationship as true and Edo's as a lie, this would all be over with quickly. With him, he probably wouldn't even need anyone else to testify. We'd be done in a matter of hours."

The woman watched Creed as he held back tears, staring in agony at his partner. She stood and walked towards the door. "I'm going to get coffee. Take some time to disgust today and think about tomorrow. I'll be back soon."

Creed nodded but did not watch her leave. He kept staring at his beloved, rubbing his face and hair, once more hoping his stare would wake his cat up.

"It's so hard without you, Train…" Creed choked back a sob and cupped his love's cheek. "But I'm doing it… I'm surviving without you. But…"

He stopped again and sobbed loudly. "I wish you were here. If you were here we could be done and back to our normal lives. If you were here I would feel whole again. If you were here… We'd…"

Creed couldn't finish his sentence as he sobbed loudly again. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Train's hoping he would feel some pressure back. The silver man sobbed again knowing that wouldn't happen, but still didn't want to pull away.

However, his ears perked when the beeping of the monitor changed slightly, its speed increasing just a little. Creed's heart leapt into his throat when he felt pressure being returned to his lips and he jolted away quickly. Train's golden eyes were shining brightly at him, his cheeky smile weak, but present as he squeezed Creed's hand lovingly.

"Train!" Creed shouted, wrapping his arms around his neck, only to pull away quickly when his cat let out a low, painful moan. "Sorry. You're awake?!"

"Yes… I am." He reached a weak hand up to his partner and caressed his cheek lazily, still regaining control of his muscles after waking up. "And there's something I've been waiting to tell you."

Tears were falling from Creed's eyes as he pressed his face further into Train's hand, his eyes never leaving his beloved's glorious golden ones.

Train smiled and Creed felt his heart fly. He never saw his cat smile at him like that before, but the next words Train spoke nearly made Creed collapse with joy.

"I love you, Creed."

Creed sobbed loudly, but out of joy this time He fell on top of his cat, still being careful to not hurt him. His wounds were mostly healed at this point, the biggest problem was his head that hit the concrete, but Creed wanted to be careful anyway. Train ran his hand against his partner's back, smiling happily at the man sobbing on his chest.

The silver man sat up. "Really, Train? Is this a dream? Do you really mean it?"

Train nodded and pulled Creed's face closer. "I love you, Creed Diskence."

Creed's whole body caught on fire when their lips met, unable to believe what was happening. Even if this was a dream he didn't care, he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He indulged himself in his Train for that moment, feeling the heat he had longed for so long, tasting his beautiful lips, letting his body, mind and soul be engulfed by his cat. If it turned out he died and this was heaven, so be it. Nothing mattered except his beloved and those three words he just heard him speak.

Clapping behind Creed brought his attention to the door. Their friends were standing there, Sven holding pizza boxes as they watched Train and Creed retunite, Saya and Eve clapping loudly. Creed laughed and sobbed again, falling back on Train's chest, not caring if he offended his friends by ignoring them. Train waved at them as they entered, but was soon met with an unwanted dog pile.

"Ah! Get off, it still hurts!" Train yelled, pushing everyone aside but Creed. Even if he wanted to, his partner was attached quite tightly, so he didn't think he could.

He smiled at the man, running his fingers through his hair lovingly when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Creed? Where's that certificate?"

Creed looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Train flicked him on the forehead. "The marriage certificate. Where is it?"

Creed blinked, but grabbed the piece of paper and handed it to his beloved. Train took it, then snapped his fingers sluggishly at his partner. Seeing the silver man didn't understand the cat elaborated.

"A pen? Quick, before I pass out again."

Creed quickly handed his beloved a pen and watched in shock as his cat signed it, then showed it to his new husband.

More tears fell from Creed's eyes as he looked from the paper to his cat. "But-How-What-?"

"I heard everything, Creed. And I remember everything." Train laughed at his partner's dumbfounded look. "Now that it's official, you can make any calls you want about my physical state from now on. It was driving me insane hearing all that and not being able to say or do anything to give you control."

Still, Creed couldn't speak. He kept staring at Train as if he were an alien, but the cat could see the utter joy in his eyes. "What's wrong? Don't you want to kiss your new husband?"

Creed didn't need to be told twice as he launched himself forward at Train, their friends clapping again as they celebrated this very unconventional union. However, a clearing of the throat brought their attention to Sephiria, who was smirking deviously at the door.

"Good thing I was here to witness that. Otherwise we might have a problem." Creed was the only one not looking at her. He was too entranced with his new husband who was holding the paper up so Creed wouldn't rip it or get any tears on it by accident.

Sephiria took the form and signed the witness section of the paper. She then put it in her briefcase and nodded confidently at the cat.

"You said you heard everything?"

Train nodded as Creed clung to his neck.

"And you remember everything?"

The cat's face was serious this time, but he nodded again.

"Good. Then I don't need to fill you in. Let's get this bastard."


	24. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

* * *

** Two Steps Forward, One Step Back **

Creed watched his cat sadly as the golden man tried to complete a memory test. The doctors already checked his physical body and everything was in good shape. Other than Train being sore and still a little unstable when he walked, his wounds were mostly healed and his reflexes were fine. However, they did a brian scan which pointed to some possible problems with his short term memory.

There didn't appear to be any problems with his long term memory, which was god news. His love was able to recall memories from his childhood, high school, and early adult years just fine, but they found Train repeating the same statements or questions several times. That warranted further testing, and Creed's heart hurt watching his beloved struggle.

Train growled and slammed his fist on the table, moving the cards that were flipped face up. "I told you, I can't do it!"

The neuropsychologist smiled kindly and collected the cards. "That's okay, Mr. Heartnet. Take a break and we can try again later."

The cat let his head fall in his hands and sighed loudly. "This test is pointless. I obviously can't remember a stupid picture of a stupid flower on a stupid card." Train threw the card he was holding on the table for the woman to collect then rested his head on the table.

Another issue his cat was having was his irritability. The doctors and nurses said it was completely normal for him to be agitated easily, sluggish, and just in general not all together. This was something Creed was more than willing to tolerate if it meant Train was awake. His cat would snap easily at the smallest of things, but the silver man was always quick to respond and get his love back under control. Train would often grumble apologises and the medical staff wouldn't even give it a second though. In fact, they said compared to patients they've had before, Train wasn't that bad. Although, it did help that Creed was there to calm him down.

And right now, it looked like his husband needed him. Train was about ready to explode at the poor woman who was simply taking notes and tapping a pile of papers on the table to straighten them out. His cat was leaning his head against his fingers, glaring at her in annoyance which prompted Creed to step forward.

"It's okay, Love." Creed stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "You'll get it next time."

Train didn't change his stances as the woman in front of him continued writing. The pen on the paper felt like someone was scratching his brain with a coat hanger. All he wanted to do was rip the pen out of her hand, throw it across the room, then tear up the paper into tiny little indescribable pieces.

He barely registered Creed was behind him as the woman before him had the audacity to flip a page and write more things down. "How long does it take to write down that I'm a complete moron and a useless cause?"

Again, she smiled kindly at him. Creed had noticed the woman's unwavering patience when it came to his beloved. Her line of work probably prepared her for the worst, so it was nice how calmly and quietly she handled Train's outbursts.

"Mr. Heartnet, you're not a moron. It may just take time for your short term memory to return." She stopped taking notes, seeing that it was bothering Train.

Train rolled his eyes then grabbed his head in pain the gesture caused. "My head is killing me…"

Creed frowned at his cat and pulled him closer so Train was leaning back into him. His beloved didn't stop him, knowing Creed was just trying to calm him down before he exploded on the innocent woman. On top of his short term memory problems, Train also had a concussion. Luckily, it wasn't bad enough to cause major concern, but it was enough to cause him pain and he needed to be careful. It also pushed back the court date. Now that the golden man was awake, everything changed and the court was aware Train wouldn't be ready to jump right in.

Creed tightened his hold on his cat and kissed his shoulder gently, being careful to avoid his head. "I know, Love." The silver man crossed his arm across Train's chest so his hand rested on his husband's shoulder and massaged it tenderly.

After a few seconds, Train finally relaxed into Creed's arms and sighed. He looked at the woman and frowned. "I'm sorry…" Even though he was mumbling, she still heard him.

"Please don't apologize. Your behavior is completely normal. Go rest. You did a lot of work today."

It had been four days since he woke up and every day was filled with physical therapy and mental work. The therapy was easy for him since his body was recovering quite well, but all the memory and brain work was a real pain. The only thing that really hurt was his head. Everything else was just a little raw, but nothing that was terrible.

The woman nodded to both men as she left. Creed smiled at her, but Train did not. He didn't want to look at her because he was embarrassed with his behavior, which only irritated him more.

The cat growled and tensed back up in Creed's arms. "Man, even being irritated irritates me." He got mad at himself at that thought and felt his leg beginning to shake. "Ugh! This is so frustrating!"

He was about to throw himself on the table, but Creed stopped him and pulled him back against his chest. The golden man sighed and allowed his partner to comfort him. He felt his leg stop twitching when Creed kissed his cheek and rested his head against the silver man's shoulder.

"Thank you, Creed…" He said quietly, still feeling ashamed with how he acted.

Creed smiled, gave him another kiss, then caressed his hair delicately. Doing that seemed to ease his cat's pain just a little, but even that small amount was enough to encourage Creed to keep doing it. He felt his heart lift when Train purred a little and leaned into his hand. The law student nuzzled his face lightly into his husband's chocolate locks and took a deep breath.

"Are you hungry?" Creed asked as he ran a finger down Train's arm, overjoyed he was able to hold his cat like this again.

Train nodded, then groaned at the pain it brought on and leaned against the table instead of Creed. The silver man kneeled next to his beloved and massaged his knee to stop it from shaking. He then lightly grabbed his cat's chin so their eyes met. Creed frowned at the pain he saw Train's eyes and used his thumb to rub his chin gingerly. Feeling his love relax a little, Creed then leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against his partner's. Train returned the gesture and held Creed's hand that was on his knee, caressing the silver man's fingers fondly.

When Creed pulled away, his chest filled with delight when he saw Train was giving him that same loving look he did when he first woke up and uttered those three beautiful words to Creed. The law student was worried that after the elation of waking up his cat might regret what he said and take it back. He was also concerned that Train might have been reacting impulsively when he signed that marriage certificate and would try to get it annulled.

It had been four days and his beloved had said those sacred words and signed the official document and there had been no signs of regret. In fact, quite the opposite was true. Train had made a point to tell Creed every day since then he loved him, and the silver man was sure he would never get over how happy it made him.

Train kissed Creed one more time before attempting to stand from his chair. "Let's go. The lights in here are too bright anyway."

His beloved's concussion made every brightly lit room hurt. The lights in his room were kept off almost at all times. The only source of light in there came from the window and a small lamp the nurses brought so Creed could still see, but the silver man made sure to keep it away from his husband.

As Train began to stand, Creed offered him his arm immediately. Although it was hard for him to support the pressure of the larger man, Train was stubborn and refused to use crutches. It was difficult enough to convince his cat to use Creed as support, but seeing as he still had a hard time walking on his own and even a cane was out of the question for him, Train didn't have a choice.

Once the cat had his balance, Creed wrapped an arm around his waist and the other grabbed his arm tightly when Train put it around his shoulder. Despite the fact that it had only been a few days, the silver man was happy to see his husband was already almost able to walk on his own. The doctors said his body was probably recovering so quickly because he was young and in great physical shape. This was good news since Train was having such a hard time coping with his memory issues.

They were only a few rooms away from Train's which Creed was happy about since his cat was actually quite heavy. While he loved helping his partner and having Train touch him, it wasn't easy supporting his weight. They were approximately the same height, but Creed's petite frame and lean figure could not hold his love for that long.

Train growled when he entered the room and slapped his hand on the wall to turn off the lights. "Why did they do that?"

Creed hauled him over to the bed and helped him sit. "They needed to change the sheets, Train. They can't do that in the dark."

The golden man pulled himself onto the bed and sighed into the soft pillow. "Yeah, but they could have turned the lights back off."

Creed smiled at his husband and kissed him on the cheek as he pulled the blanket over him. "They're human, Train. They forget like we all do." The silver man whimpered a little at his cat's pitiful look. "Oh, Train, I'm sorry! Bad choice of words."

He kissed him again and caressed his hair and face until the look went away. Once his love was resting peacefully, Creed stopped and gave him one more soft kiss on the lips then made a move to leave the room. "I'll go get you something to eat, Love."

When he tried to leave, he was stopped by Train's strong, but tired hand gripping his wrist. His eyes were closed to block out the little bit of light that entered the room through the hallway, but the rest of his face was that of a lost puppy looking for its owner.

"No. My head hurts. It's cuddle time." The golden man's voice was quiet, but pleading and Creed was for once happy that he was unable to see his eyes since he knew that would make him cave into the request.

Creed brought his beloved's hand to his lips and pecked it gently. "You need to eat, Train. I'll be back soon."

He tried to leave again, but Train didn't let go. "I'm not **that** hungry…"

Creed laughed at his cat. "Since when do you turn down food?"

The golden man pouted. "Since I was sad and my head hurt and I wanted love."

The law student sighed. "You know I'll always give you love…"

"But you're not right now…" The cat pouted again. "The nurses can bring me something later."

This time, the cat opened his eyes, knowing they were Creed's weakness. The silver man sighed in defeat at that look, knowing there was no way he could win against those beautiful amber depths.

"You're lucky you're so cute, Cat." Creed mumbled as he crawled in the small bed with his beloved.

Train was no longer hooked to any machines and since he wasn't in a lot of physical pain other than his head, the silver man had laid in bed with him every second he could. Really, Train was only in the hospital so they could continue keeping an eye on his concussion.

On top of that, they had been alone for the last four days. Sephiria called every so often for updates and to ask questions, but she hadn't stopped by. They had another three days until the trial, assuming Train continued recovering so well. Saya went back home since her testimony was over and they wouldn't be calling her again. Sven and Eve also went home, but they weren't so far away they couldn't drive back if need be. Eve had a lot of work to catch up on and Sven's time off was about to end. Creed kept them in the loop as much as he could since Train's phone was still confiscated as evidence, so he did not have it. Even if he did, with the concussion he wasn't allowed to stare at screens for long. It didn't bother Train as long as he had other ways to entertain himself.

Train smiled as Creed climbed next to him, happy with how easy it was to get what he wanted from his partner. Once the silver man was settled, Train wrapped his arms around Creed's neck to pull him closer. The silver man smiled and wrapped his arms around Train's waist and nuzzled his head into his cat's chest. He sighed happily when he felt his beloved's hand running down his back, his other running tenderly through his hair.

Creed's heart fluttered when Train kissed the top of his head then rested his cheek on his silver locks. When his cat tightened his hold on the law student, Creed's smile widened and he pushed his face further into his beloved's chest and cooed happily. Train chuckled at his husband's reaction and kissed his head again before shutting his eyes to rest for a little.

"I love you, Creed."

Creed made a joyous noise and rubbed his face against his love's chest. "I love you too, Train."

As Creed laid in Train's arms and held his cat in his, he couldn't help but think where they came from. Just over five years ago, Train thought he was meeting Creed for the first time and Creed was doing his best not to stutter and make a fool out of himself. If he went back to tell his past self he would be in Train's arms with said man telling him he loved him, Creed would have thought it was some elaborate joke being pulled on him by one of his bullies. However, if he had known then that not only would he be loved by Train, but married to him, it probably would have saved him a lot of heartache and anxiety. There were so many times it was hard for Creed to push on knowing the love of his life didn't even know he existed.

"Train… Tell me again this isn't a dream." Creed moved his head slightly so his cat would hear him better, but still did not move from his arms.

Train didn't respond and instead pinched him harshly on his arm. Creed yelped and glared up at him, but was greeted by a small kiss to his forehead. That changed the silver man's mood immediately and he kissed his beloved in return. Train pressed his lips against Creed's, using one of his hands to apply more pressure by pushing the back of Creed's head. The law student moved his hands up Train's back to his shoulder, sliding them up strongly so their chests pressed together.

The golden man used his other hand to pull Creed's waist closer so their lower bodies were pressed together as well. While the silver man was fully clothed, Train was still only wearing a hospital robe, so Creed was able to feel his beloved's bare, muscular back beneath his lithe fingers. To feel his partner a little more, Train slipped his hand under Creed's shirt and tickled his lower back playfully, which made the law student smile into the kiss, then deepen it.

The cat allowed his partner to enter his mouth and returned the gesture with the same motion. Their tongues twirled together affectionately, the two getting lost in each other's taste and touch, basking in the warm embrace they had missed out on for what felt like forever.

Train was comatose for only about three and a half weeks, but it felt like forever to them. The cat had been trapped in a body where he could hear Creed, but was unable to do anything except wish he would wake up so he could be with him. Creed was tortured by seeing his beloved lay motionless before him, unable to hold him in his arms, feel his warmth next to him, or hear his voice dance in his ears. They were trying to make up for as much lost time as possible and since they had been left alone for four days, they embraced like this every chance they got between Train's therapy and check ups.

Creed moaned blissfully into his cat, then pulled away, knowing he was about to take their romantic kiss to the next level. Even though he stopped kissing his beloved, he did not let go or move too far away. The silver man kept his face close enough that their foreheads were pressed together and their lips touched when he talked. Train actually tried to move in for another kiss, but Creed stopped him by only giving him a quick one.

"Train, if we keep that up I won't be able to stop myself…" Creed ran one hand through his love's hair, the other clinging to his shoulder yearningly, keeping their bodies as close as he possibly could.

Train smiled against Creed's face. "I don't see what the problem is…"

The golden man moved in for another kiss and Creed couldn't and didn't want to stop him. Before he knew it, they had assumed the same position they were in before, only this time a little more lustfully. Creed felt his beloved run his fingers up and down his back and felt a pleasurable shiver course through his body as his cat lingered on his lower back seductively. He moaned and pulled away again, knowing he wanted to do more, but his beloved wasn't in the physical state to do something so strenuous. The doctors warned that raising his heart rate could make him worse.

Again, he broke the kiss, but did not pull away. He stilled longer to feel his cat against him, so he couldn't get himself to move away fully. Train frowned at him when he did that, but Creed made it up to him by kissing his cheek and neck adoringly. The silver man continued his kisses as he spoke to Train, planting one between each word.

"Train, you know you're not ready yet." When he ended his sentence, he gave his beloved a long kiss on his neck, making his cat moan quietly.

"You can't say what I'm ready for…" Train rubbed Creed's hips with his thumb, which made the silver man gasp quietly and press his lower body more earnestly into his beloved.

When Train did it again, Creed had to stop himself from jumping his partner and he did so by biting into the golden man's neck. That only made matters worse as Train groaned at his motion and moved his hands to Creed's thighs, massaged them gently, making the law student swallow heavily. He knew he shouldn't, but Creed couldn't help himself when it came to Train. The silver man found himself spreading his legs a little to give his cat more access.

Train took advantage of the gesture his husband was offering him and moved one hand up and down against his pants. Creed moaned again and began lightly sucking on his cat's neck, then trailed kisses up to his ear and nibbled gently at his lobe. Train pulled his partner's mouth closer to his ear by pressing against the back of Creed's head harder. The silver man responded by sucking and nipping more harshly, which caused his cat to moan again.

The golden man moved his hand towards the hem of Creed's pants and began unzipping and unbuttoning them quickly. Once he was done, he slipped his hand inside and gently touched his partner's sensitive skin, making Creed gasp into his ear. That only encouraged Train as he moved further down as Creed continued sucking and kissing his neck and ear and neck vigorously.

As Train's fingers danced between his legs slowly, Creed felt a heat beginning to pool in his stomach that he hadn't felt since his cat had been in a coma. His senses were leaving him as he felt his beloved move against him, knowing Train couldn't get too excited, but also needing to feel his beloved's touch more than he needed to breathe air.

Creed tried to use the last of his senses to stop his cat from doing something he knew would end up hurting him, but when Train grabbed his shaft fully, that sensibility left him completely. He gasped loudly into Train then pressed his lips tightly against his beloved, diving his tongue deep into his mouth as his partner moved up and down against him. The golden man kissed him back eagerly and moved his hand faster between Creed's legs, gripping a little harder.

With each stroke, Creed let out another loud moan into his partner's mouth, enjoying every feeling his cat was giving him. His pleasurable feelings grew when Creed felt the tip Train's member press into his thigh. As Train's hand moved against him, he wanted Train to feel the same bliss he was in.

Creed gripped his cat firmly, but lovingly between his legs, relishing the moan his cat let out. The silver man twirled his thumb around Train's tip, smiling against his cat's lips as he shivered in delight. He did it again and got the same reaction, then plunged his tongue further into his beloved's mouth, needing to feel more of his cat. When Creed moved his hand up and down Train's shaft, his love pulled back and removed his partner's hand from.

"That's too much. It's making my head hurt." Train was slightly out of breath as he spoke, but Creed could hear his voice masked a small amount of pain.

Creed tried to frown sadly at his cat, but found he couldn't since Train didn't stop moving against him. The silver man moved his hand from between his beloved's legs and back around his shoulder, realizing he was reaching his breaking point and unable to respond to his partner's words. His breathing got faster and faster as Train moved quickly against him, stopping only momentarily to spin his thumb around the silver man's tip.

Between gasps, he managed to ask Train a question, but made sure their faces were still close as he spoke. Their foreheads were pressed together and Creed gazed vehemently into his gold eyes, knowing he would burst any minute, but needing to know his cat wasn't hurting before he did.

"Are you sure this is okay?" He moaned again loudly, moving his lips closer to Train's so he could feel his cat's against him when he spoke. "Are you going to be okay?"

Train nodded and squeezed a little harder, moving faster as he locked his lips against Creed's twirling their tongues together quickly before pulling away to concentrate on what his hand was doing to his husband.

"Yeah, doing just this doesn't hurt." He stopped just short enough to press his thumb gently against Creed's tip again, making the silver man shiver and cry out. Train smiled and gave him another kiss before finishing his thought. "Consider it a thank you for everything you've done for me while I was out."

Creed nodded and pulled Train back into the kiss, needing to be as close to his beloved as possible since he wasn't able to give him these feelings in return. Train moved back and forth faster and faster until Creed couldn't hold it in anymore. His chest was on fire and the heat boiling in his groin was about to explode out. The golden man could feel this through the intense kiss since Creed was practically eating his face and the hold he had on Train was almost suffocating.

With a few more pumps Creed finally called out his cat's name, keeping his voice quiet so as not to hurt his love's head or alert the hospital staff of what was happening and felt himself release into his beloved's hands. Train smiled and removed his hand from his partner's pants. Creed continued kissing him wildly, but his arms around him were much looser. The silver man's whole body was relaxed now, not realizing until this moment how stressed he had been.

Train, however, could tell how stressed Creed was and laughed when he felt his husband's body relax against him. The silver man had been through a lot the last three and a half weeks and Train wanted to do something to make him feel better. While he knew Creed would want to return the favor, that was too much for him right now.

Creed kissed his cat a few more times, feeling his body growing tired as Train made him stop and pressed his face against his chest instead. The silver man swallowed a few times and caught his breath. He removed his hands from Train's back and slid them up his beloved's robes and against his chest lovingly. Creed traced the strong muscles there, cherishing the feel of the hard flesh against the soft skin and sighed happily.

"Thank you, Love. I didn't realize how much I needed that." Creed nuzzled his face underneath his cat's chin and against his neck. "As soon as you're better, I'll make it up to you ten times over."

Train chuckled at his partner and caressed his back delicately. "Looking forward to it. It's not like I'll be going anywhere." He squeezed Creed a little tighter, feeling the man sigh blissfully in his arms. "We're married now, after all."

Creed couldn't help the happy squee that left his lips when Train said that. Even though it wasn't something he ever really thought about or really needed from his cat, it was still one of the best things that had ever happened to him. Still, he was a little concerned once Train was better and the trial was over, Train would want to annul it.

"Train… Are you sure you don't regret that?" Are… You sure you'll still want it when this is all over?" Creed shut his eyes as he asked this, continuing to run his fingers against his cat's chest and stomach lovingly.

Train blinked down at his partner. "Why would I do that?"

Creed sighed and snuggled closer. "Because I know how you hate being tied down. I know I've told you before it's not important to me, but now that I have you as my husband…"

Train didn't need him to finish that sentence as he smiled and kissed the top of his head. "You know how it feels and you don't want to lose it."

The silver man nodded and kissed his neck. "Yes. I didn't know it was possible to be this happy, but calling you my husband feels like a dream and I'm still scared I'm going to wake up."

Train's response was another pinch on his arm, which made Creed yelp him pain and glare up at him again, only to melt his love's cheeky smile.

The cat flicked his forehead then pushed his head back against his neck. "What happened to that positive thinking you promised while I was out?" Creed didn't answer and Train chuckled. "Honestly, it makes sense for us to be married for legal reasons. This whole situation made me realize how important it is that we be able to make emergency calls for each other. Even though we're young, anything can happen and it's comforting to know we at least have a say in each other's fates."

Creed nodded a little sadly, thinking Train was only doing it for the legal reasons. The golden man could feel this and sighed in frustration. He pulled his partner's chin up so they were looking at each other and stared at him seriously.

"I did it for more than just logic, Creed. I don't feel 'trapped', as you said. You've been listening to that defense lawyer too much. You're not forcing anything on me. Every decision I've made I made of my own free will. Or do you feel like you forced me to do that to you just now?"

Creed blushed and shook his head as Train caressed his cheek softly, making Creed smile brightly at him.

"You never forced me to move in with you. You never forced me to hold you like this. You never forced me to kiss you-" He put a finger to Creed's lips before he mentioned that first kiss in the library. "-That one doesn't count, so I'm gonna shut you up before you bring it up."

Creed nodded and let his cat continue.

"You never forced me to do what we just did. You never forced me to be with you. And most importantly." Train held him closer and gave him a gentle, yet passionately loving kiss, then pulled away and smiled ardently into his innocent blue eyes. "You didn't force me to love you. You actually gave me space and let me figure it out on my own."

Creed felt his eyes filling with tears as Train spoke each word, but when he said those last ones, he felt a loud sob escape his lips and he threw himself forward to kiss Train again. He felt his cat laugh against the kiss and push him away slightly so he could say something else.

"You need to be able to hold it together when I say that, otherwise you'll always be a sobbing mess."

Creed laughed as well and wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry. I just don't think I'll ever get used to hearing it. I've never heard it from anyone, so hearing it from you is like hearing an angel sing."

Train sighed sadly at Creed's words, knowing his husband's past and why hearing those three words meant so much to him. "I'm sorry it took me so long to notice you…" His words were dejected as he ran his fingers through Creed's hair. "And I'm sorry I had such an aversion to telling you how I felt. You didn't deserve such neglect. You've been through enough… I didn't need to pile on more hurt."

Creed shook his head rapidly, his fingers never leaving his love's upper body. "Don't apologize, Train. I'm not the only one who's been traumatized by their past." He sighed happily and smiled at the feeling of his love under his fingers. "While I was traumatized by never having love, your pain came from loving people you lost. I don't blame you for having trouble saying those words."

Train nuzzled his head into Creed's head as the man rested it back against his neck, enjoying the feel of his silver tresses against his cheek. "I still don't know how you are able to read me so well. I don't think I know myself as well as you know me."

Creed giggled and kissed under his chin. "I told you I could teach a class on you. In high school you were so preoccupied with making ends meet I don't think you'd even recognize your own reflection."

The golden man laughed and tugged at Creed's hair playfully. "That's a bit extreme."

"Is it? Or is it true? I know you like messy hair and uniforms, but sometimes when you came to school it was like you got dressed in the dark." Creed laughed again at Train's exacerbated sigh and kissed his chin again.

"You're the one that fell in love with that mess of a teen." Train felt himself blushing a little from embarrassment at his disheveled state in high school.

"No, I fell in love with you when we were kids. You just became an unruly teenager and now man that I'm head over heels for." Creed smiled at his love, enjoying the shy look he had in his eyes.

"...How? How did you know at such a young age? I could barely tell the difference when I was hungry or had a stomach ache at that age, yet you knew you loved me before we were even in middle school." Train noticed Creed was smiling at him and poked his forehead. "We weren't even taught about loving someone other than our parents at that age. How did you handle such an intense emotion at such a young age?"

Now that Train felt it he knew what it was like, it was hard to comprehend feeling this way at such a young age. His heart always ached to be with Creed, but he never had to deal with Creed not wanting to be with him, or not knowing he existed. The golden man always had the option to take Creed in his arms whenever he wanted, and the idea of having to hide that feeling or hold those emotions in because you might lose the one you loved was beyond Train's comprehension.

But his poor partner had to struggle his entire life with such an extremely potent emotion coursing through his body, knowing he had to keep it inside for fear of scaring Train away. Train also now understood that scaring away the one person you wanted most in the world would absolutely destroy you. It added such a level of pain, Train didn't know how his husband did it. The cat respected him so much for being able to control himself all those years and all for the sake of Train's comfort.

Creed continued smiling at him, reading his thoughts and feeling his heart swell with joy at his love's concern for him.

"I think I was so starved for love and attention that when you showed me kindness, I couldn't help myself. I didn't fully understand what I was feeling at the time, but it was too powerful an emotion to ignore. All I knew was that I wanted to see you and be with you all the time." He gave his cat a light kiss on the lips, then used one of his hands to caress his cheek, the other one staying on Train's chest. "I think the bigger question is, how could I **not** fall in love with you?"

Train blushed a little which made Creed giggle. "But how did you handle that for so long? I can't even imagine what that felt like…"

Creed frowned then took a page from Train's book and flicked him in the forehead, but gently so as not to hurt him. He knew his cat was feeling guilty and wanted to stop that thought process before it got too far.

"Don't do that. Don't start blaming yourself." He smiled at his cat's disgruntled look, and continued. "I did it because the idea of losing you was worse than anything else I could imagine. That day we were partnered together in Tanaka's class, I was putting everything on the line to get close to you."

Train blinked at him. "You were behind that?"

Now it was Creed who was blushing, and he nodded sheepishly. "Yes… I also copied your whole schedule that year so I could get closer to you. Are you mad...?"

"No, not at all. Honestly, I should probably be thanking you. None of this-" He gestured to the two of them, then wrapped his arms back around Creed. "-Would have happened if you didn't. You should have tried it sooner."

Creed smiled and nestled further into his beloved. "If I knew this was going to be the end result, I would have." He paused for a second, trying to think of how else he could explain his hesitancy. "I was scared. Like you said, I was just a kid. I didn't know how to handle those feelings and the idea of rejection was too much to bear. Even talking to you seemed impossible to me at the time."

Train laughed fondly at the memory. "Yeah, you used to stutter a lot. I thought there was something wrong with you. Or that you were sick all the time. Now I understand what was going on."

Creed frowned as his cat laughed at him, then pinched Train's shoulder. "Shut up, I didn't know what to do…"

Train flinched a little at the gesture, but smiled despite it. "Like I said, you should have done it sooner. I probably would have been better off with you in my life before senior year."

"Well, I was always in your life. You just didn't know it." Creed shrugged his shoulders, knowing Train knew everything he had done with him before and throughout high school.

Train laughed quietly. "That's true… And you keep doing stuff for me to this day."

Creed smiled. "I would do anything for you, Love. You know that."

The golden man smiled back at his husband, then leaned forward to give him another kiss. They embraced each other like this for a while, but it did not escalate like it did before. As much as they both wanted it to, they knew they couldn't keep that up for fear of further aggravating Train's condition. However, they enjoyed even these small encounters with each other, knowing all they needed was each other to feel whole.

When they broke from the kiss, they kept their faces close together. Train's arms were still around Creed's waist and the silver man brought his fingers back to his partner's upper body, once more outline his muscles gingerly. Creed was smiling peacefully at the feel of his love against his face and fingers, the joy of knowing not only was his cat awake, but that Train returned his feelings of love and wasn't going to take them away.

His blue eyes left Train's golden ones fell on his strong frame, taking in his partner's illustrious body, content knowing he could touch it whenever he wanted. Creed sighed contentedly and pressed his head into Train's strong shoulder. Nothing could ruin this moment.

Creed frowned when he felt his beloved tense up under his fingers. He looked at up Train and noticed his eyes had changed from tender and warm to frightened and frozen. The silver man turned to look at the door and jolted up quickly, moving back a little so he was blocking his husband.

"Are you **kidding** me?!" Creed almost screamed at the man standing at the door.

Edo stood there with a strange look on his face. Creed couldn't tell if he was angry, jealous, upset or a combination of those feelings, but whatever it was, the silver man did not like it. In their joy of reuniting, both men forgot to reinstate the restraining order. Sephiria was so busy gathering information and getting things ready for the final part of the trial, the restraining order was probably the least of her concerns right now.

The officer stood in the door staring at the two men as they embraced. Creed didn't know how long he had been there for or if the door had been opened the whole time, but since Train had only just reacted, it couldn't have been that long.

"I heard he was awake. I just wanted to see how he was doing." Edo's voice had a controlled anger behind it, which almost pushed Creed over the edge. However, the silver man couldn't help but notice he was attempting to sound less threatening than he did before when it was just Creed. Almost as if he was trying to have a normal conversation.

Creed felt his love reach for his hand and grab it firmly. It wasn't like the law student could actually protect him from the large man watching them, but Creed could tell he at least needed the comfort. He squeezed his partner's hand back and looked at him quickly. Train was holding his breath and kept his eyes locked onto Edo, just in case he moved.

Creed scooted his body back even more to Train, trying to use his small frame to block his beloved. "Get. **Out**." His voice was commanding, straight forward, and left no room for argument.

Edo tilted his head in mock confusion. "What's wrong? I'm within range of the restraining order. And seeing as it has not been reverted back to its original state, I thought that meant Heartnet might want to see me."

Creed growled loudly enough for the older man to hear him. "We've been busy. Our lawyer will fix that real soon."

Edo ignored him in favor of the man on the bed. "Hey, Heartnet. How ya feelin'?"

The silver man felt his partner lean his face into his back, grabbing his hand a little tighter. Creed had never seen Train like this and it scared him. Just a few moments ago they were expressing their love to each other both physically and verbally, but now he was frozen solid, unable to even look at the man standing at the door.

_I don't understand. Didn't he confront Edo that night? We've gone over what happened that night several times and he seemed capable of dealing with him then. What happened?_

Creed backed up until his body was pressed against Train, keeping his arms out so his cat felt safer. "Don't talk to my husband."

Edo cocked his eyebrow at Creed's statement. "Husband? Since when?"

"Since he woke up. **Get out!** " Creed commanded again, refusing to play any part of this game.

"Can't Heartnet talk for himself? Did you take his voice along with his freedom?" Edo asked accusingly.

Creed chose not to answer that question, knowing having a conversation with the man was only going to cause more problems. Instead, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Sephiria's number. "I'm calling Ms. Arks. You better get out of here before she shows up with detective Miller."

Train felt his heart racing and was unable to breathe. He tried to hide himself behind Creed as much as he could until Edo left. The older man tried to sneak one more look at the cat, but finally walked away when Creed began talking to Sephiria. The woman informed the law student she was actually already on the way to discuss the upcoming trial.

Once he hung up, Creed turned back to his cat and held him firmly. He was shocked to feel Train had begun sweating and was even shaking a little. Even Train was surprised by his actions. He clung to his partner's shirt and took in a deep breath, just now realizing he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen.

"I-I'm sorry, Creed. I don't know what that was…" Train buried his face into his husband's shoulder and tried to calm himself down.

"It's okay, Train." Creed ran his hands against his back and hair. "This is a new and traumatizing event. We're just learning how you're going to react to being around your attacker."

Train tried to nod his head, but then noticed how much it had started hurting. Seeing Edo had triggered something in him and he was learning how his body reacted to it. His head was pounding violently against his skull and his nearly healed bullet wounds began to throb. He didn't know why his body reacted this way, but he was sure it had something to do with the fear he had just felt.

The memory of what happened the night of the shooting and at the station came rushing back to him in that instant. Train felt himself breathing heavily and the world was spinning around him. He knew he couldn't get worked up in his condition, but he couldn't stop himself right now. He tried leaning harder into Creed, hoping that would help, but it didn't.

Creed felt his cat having a panic attack and reacted immediately. He pulled Train away, forced his husband to look at him, then kissed him as passionately as he could. Creed poured every bit of his emotions into that kiss, trying to get his beloved lost in a positive feeling instead of being trapped in a tragic memories. It took a bit longer than Creed hoped for, but Train finally responded and kissed him back. It was a slow start at first with very little pressure and slightly detached, but after a few minutes the silver man felt the full pressure of his partner against him and the full brunt of his love behind the kiss.

When they pulled away, Creed held him close and rested Train's head against his shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Love. We'll make sure you're ready before you face him."

"And what if I can't, Creed…" Train looked at him desperately. "What if I can't face him again?"

Creed smiled and kissed him once more on the forehead. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

* * *

Sephiria got there about an hour after Edo had left. By then, Train was calmer, but still a little shaken up. Creed explained to her what happened and she had voiced her concerns.

"Do you think he'll be able to stand trial?" Sephiria was standing in the hallway with Creed while his cat was being checked on by the doctors. His head had started hurting pretty bad after the encounter with the officer, so they wanted to make sure he didn't make himself worse.

Creed bit his lip and looked at Train from the corner of his eye. "I… Don't know. I don't know what that was about. He faced Edo and Clark that night of the shooting. I wasn't there, so I don't know how exactly he handled it, but from what I just saw now, he wouldn't have been able to even approach them let alone protect another person from them."

The lawyer nodded and was silent for a second as she thought. Creed couldn't tell if she was upset or just thinking, but he didn't like the silence and decided to voice his question.

"Just give it to me straight, Ms. Arks, does this bode well for our case?"

Her delayed response concerned him, as it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. "I'm not sure yet. Train is still our ace in the hole. The fact that he can't even be in the same room as Edo right now is both a good thing and a bad thing."

Creed kind of had an idea what she was hinting at, but gestured for her to elaborate.

"Obviously, it's bad because if he can't be in the same room as him, then he can't testify against him. However, I can already see how the defense is going to swing it." She looked at Creed with a deep frown and sad eyes. "They're going to say he's been alone with you for too long after he woke up and you've corrupted him again. They're going to say you forced him to reinstate the restraining order, because it happened only **after** Officer Edo showed up and you prevented him from seeing Train."

Creed clenched his fists at the thought. "Train didn't want to see him! He was hiding behind me!"

Sephiria nodded. "I know that, but the defense is going to try and swing it that Train was scared of **you** and what you would do to him if you caught him talking to Edo."

Creed froze when she said that. He had a feeling that was going to be their plan, but hearing Sephiria confirm his thoughts made it a reality. The idea that they would try to use Creed's presence as a reason Train couldn't talk to Edo made him angry beyond belief, so becoming paralyzed was all he could do.

Then, a thought occurred to him. "Train's my husband now. What person wouldn't want to be there for their husband?"

Again, the lawyer nodded, but her words were not comforting. "Yes, logically that makes sense. Any normal person would want to be there for their spouse during such a trying time. But, again, they're going to try and swing it their way."

Creed rolled his eyes. "We have witnesses. You were there when he signed the form."

"Yes, and I will be calling the Vollfieds back to the stand as well. I already spoke to them and they're in. As for me, yes, I witnessed Train signing the paper and I was there when you signed it the day I gave it to you, but I did not see the events that led up to it. While my witness signature is solid and therefore the document is valid, I cannot say for sure what happened before that."

"But you know what happened! Train asked for it on his own! He **wanted** to sign it. It was his idea!" The silver man was getting really frustrated. The trial hadn't even started yet and he was already sick of it.

The tall blonde sighed and frowned at the man. "Creed, I know this is difficult, but we have to keep pushing through. This is really going to come down to our word against theirs. We have the upper hand in that their witnesses along with the defendant have not proven to be reliable. However, the down side is none of that may matter because they are respected police officials."

Creed rubbed his forehead and growled quietly. "I don't get why they're so respected."

"Because their cops. Unfortunately, the general public usually has a blind eye for their local police. They are held up as heroes in the community and the jury isn't filled with the most sympathetic people. We've got a few in there, but overall a lot of them feel more compassion for police and their job than criminals and a young person with a rough past."

Creed didn't need her to elaborate what she meant. They were trying to use the attack made on Creed all those years ago against him. The defense argued that his attack on Izo was over the top and unnecessary and he should have had consequences for his actions. They also tried to use several people from his past to say he had violent tendencies when he was younger. There was even a point they used the fact that they couldn't call his mother to the stand because she didn't want anything to do with him, not because she was an unreliable witness who had a criminal background.

Sephiria gripped his shoulder firmly. "You're going to have to get used to this if you're going to be a lawyer."

The silver man sighed. "I know, I know. It's different when it involves someone you love…"

The tall blonde smiled knowingly. "Despite what you may think, you're doing a great job. I'm still confident in our win especially now with Train awake. They may try to tear him apart, but I won't let that happen."

"What can you do if he can't be in the same room as Edo?" Creed eyed her wearily, bringing the conversation back full circle.

Sephiria sighed and took her hand off his shoulder. "Well, first thing we need to do is have him evaluated by a therapist. We've been so concerned with his physical well being that we forgot about his emotional. This was a traumatic event, so I'm not surprised he's reacting this way."

Creed nodded. "He seemed so confident when he woke up. I didn't think this would be an issue."

"Well, it is, so we need to deal with it. I knew they were going to try and use his memory against him as well, but now that we see how he reacts to Edo's presence, they'll swing that as your fault as well." Sephiria's voice was serious as always, and Creed appreciated her bluntness.

"Is there anything we can do?" Creed turned his body so he was looking at Train, making sure he was doing okay while the doctors checked his vision.

"Maybe… But I don't think you'll like it." Sephiria glanced at the cat as well, then looked back to Creed. "I don't think he'll get it either."

The silver man frowned deeply when he saw his beloved grimace in pain at the doctor's touch. "Just tell me and I'll talk to Train about it."

She sighed deeply. "You might have to tone down your presence around him. Maybe if you're not here all the time, it'll put a wrench in their argument."

Creed felt his heart drop, but stopped it when he thought of something. "Couldn't they then swing it to be that I didn't really care?"

"That wouldn't work in their favor because their whole argument is that you are an obsessed stalker that Train is afraid of and you control his every movement and thought. If they try to swing it the opposite direction: That you're an uncaring spouse, they'll shoot themselves in the foot. They will essentially be admitting our argument is valid. That you are in fact a legitimate couple."

Creed thought about that for a minute as he stared at his cat. His heart broke, but he understood what Sephiria was trying to explain to him. Creed would do anything for his beloved, but this situation was so conflicting. He knew Train wouldn't want him to leave, but he also knew leaving might help Train.

The silver man smiled when he saw Train making a joke that made the nurses laugh and the doctor roll his eyes. It was good to see him going back to his normal self, but he knew after they talked it wasn't going to stay that way.

Creed stopped Sephiria from further making her point and nodded his head. "I understand, Ms. Arks. I can't make any promises, but I'll talk to Train."

Sephiria nodded and turned to leave. "I'll set up an appointment with someone to evaluate his emotional state. You'll hear from me soon."

Creed did not watch her walk away, instead he entered the room his husband occupied and listened to the doctor's update. Train was essentially okay, but apparently seeing Edo had elevated his heart rate, which is what caused his head to hurt. The rapid blood flow was not good for his condition, so the doctor warned him to be careful about that. Now that Train was awake to give Sephiria the go ahead to extend the restraining order, they weren't worried about that happening again.

Train thanked the doctor as he left and turned to Creed. He frowned when he saw how distraught his partner looked and gestured for him to sit on the bed next to time. The law student was already on his way over and cuddled against his cat again desperately. Train was thrown off by how tightly Creed was clinging to him and hesitated for a minute for he wrapped his arms around him.

"What's wrong, Creed?" Train ran his hands through his husband's hair and back as he spoke, hoping that would settle the man's feelings. "What did Sephiria have to say?"

Creed nuzzled his head into his beloved's chest and breathed in his scent deeply. "The restraining order will be brought back to its original state. Edo won't even be able to enter the same building as you anymore. The only exception will be at the trial."

Train nodded confidently. "That's good isn't it? Why are you so upset?"

Creed paused and held his cat tighter. "You're going to need to be evaluated to see if you are emotionally fit to stand trial."

The golden man thought about this for a second. The idea of talking to someone about how he felt was off-putting, but wasn't something that should upset Creed this much. "That's fine. I don't see why that would set you off this badly…"

"That's not it. She said one more thing…" He sighed loudly and buried his face into his love's shoulder. "She said I may need to dial back my time here…"

Train was confused and let his partner know it. "What do you mean?"

Creed paused and tried to be more blunt this time. "The defense is going to try and swing this whole event against us by saying you were terrified of me, not Edo. Because I'm here all the time and with you all the time, they're going to say I got in your head again and threatened you. They're going to say that's why you were so scared."

Train could only stare at the curled up man on his chest as he thought about that. "What? That makes no sense! You've been here the entire time I've been awake and I haven't had any episodes. But as soon as that bastard showed up I had a panic attack. That's **not** a coincidence."

Creed nodded in agreement, but did not pull away from his husband. "I know and Sephiria knows, but they can make a good case with this. They could say we didn't know about any other episodes because I would have kept it a secret. They're whole argument is that I am an obsessed stalker that you are scared of."

Train felt his partner shaking in his arms and frowned deeply. "Creed… You know that's not true, right? Remember that conversation we just had? You haven't forced anything on me."

Creed nodded again, but was still not satisfied. Train noticed this and gave him a kiss on top of his head. Seeing that was still not enough, the golden man moved Creed's face so he was looking at him. Without saying a word, he kissed him deeply, releasing his emotions in the mbrace. The law student responded instantly and wrapped his arms around Train's neck, pulling himself up a little so he was leaning against his cat's chest. Feeling his love's body press against him and tasting the man on his lips, he began to relax. His shaking stopped and his heart filled with joy.

Train pulled back and smiled at Creed, which only made the silver man want to kiss him again. He did so earnestly, which made the cat laugh and push him away. The silver man frowned when his beloved stopped him, but he melted in Train's arm when he smiled that loving smile.

"Creed, I love you. You need to know that. You have never forced anything on me I wasn't ready for. And don't mention that kiss in the library." Train pointed accusingly at his face when he said that, predicting what he was going to say before he said it.

The silver man gave his love a small smile and nodded. "I love you too…"

Creed leaned forward to kiss him again which Train did not stop this time. The kiss lasted longer than the previous one and Creed felt himself fully calm now. He was able to continue the conversation with Train, as hard as it was going to be.

"So… What do you want me to do, Train?" Creed rested his head on Train's shoulder, curling next to him with his arms still wrapped around his neck.

"I don't want you to leave." Train said firmly.

The harshness of his voice made Creed jump a little. "I know, Train, but we need to be logical about this. We need to make sure this makes sense for the case."

The cat frowned. "I am being logical. I don't want you to leave."

Creed giggled a little at his love's stubbornness, but stopped himself when he saw how upset Train was. "Saying you **want** me here is not being logical. I want to be here too, but if it means it might give the defense more to work with, then we need to have a conversation."

"No, there doesn't. I can tell you right now if you're not here I'm going to be worse off." Train made himself sound as serious as he could to drive his point home.

The silver man sighed and pulled away a little, making sure he could see his husband's face. "You don't know that, Train…"

"Yes, I do. I'm calm when you're here. When you're here, I don't think about what happened because I'm happy. If you weren't, my mind would wander back to that night and the day that the station and I would spiral. That spiral would cause another panic attack only worse because you won't be there to stop me." He felt a bit of rage leave him when he spoke. The idea of Creed not being there while he was clearly emotionally unwell scared him and he could already feel the anxiety rising.

Creed noticed this and hugged his cat. "Train, calm down. It would only be for a few days. You could do it. You've done it before. You've been emotionally unwell before and didn't even know I existed."

"Like you said, I didn't know you existed then. I also didn't have a concussion or was shot four times back then."

Train sounded so sure, but Creed didn't want to let up on something that might help them long term. "Train… You're stronger than that. You don't need me to be emotionally well. You've always been so independent, you could do it if you wanted to."

The cat shook his head, then clutched it in pain. "That's not what I mean. I know I'm not completely dependent on you. But this-" He pointed to his head. "-Complicates everything. I don't know what's going on with these panic attacks yet, but because it triggers physical pain in my body, I need help. Any you know I don't like asking for help." Train stopped and took a deep breath of air to calm himself down. "I'm not saying I can't handle myself without you, I'm saying that both my emotional and physical self are unpredictable right now and I know you help keep me grounded."

Creed smiled warmly at his cat. His words touched his soul in a way he never thought any words ever could. The silver man found himself kissing Train again, deeper than before, but being sure to control himself so as not to give his beloved another episode.

"Thank you for saying all that, Train…" He caressed his love's cheek tenderly as he stared fondly into his eyes. A thought occurred to him, and he decided to run it by his partner. "What if we just tried one night? If we try one night and you have another panic attack, I'll come running back. I know this sounds crude, but we could use that to our advantage. It would be proof that I wasn't stalking you and you actually wanted me there."

Train scrunched his forehead at the idea, then realized that doing that hurt and rubbed his head lightly. "I… Don't know about that right now, Creed…"

Creed ran his fingers through Train's chocolate locks in hopes of soothing his cat's pain. "I know it's risky especially since we don't know for sure how this will affect you or the trial, but the doctors have my number and I'll let them know to call right away if anything happens."

"I'm telling you what would happen." He was starting to get angry which hurt his head. He sighed at his partner's touch, the pain subsiding only slightly at his husband's caresses. "Why won't you believe me?"

The silver man frowned and rubbed his cat's cheek with his thumb. "It's not that I don't believe you. I'm just trying to help the case."

Now Train was upset with the man and actually pushed his hands away. "What you're telling me is the case is more important than my well being."

Creed felt his heart break when his love said that. "No, that's now what I'm saying at all, Love…"

Train's head was starting to hurt more at the conversation and his irritation at Creed's refusal to let the idea go was not helping. He pushed away his partner's hand when he tried to comfort him again. To show more defiance, Train actually rolled over so his back was facing Creed.

"Whatever. If you're gonna leave then leave already." For emphasis, he pulled the blanket over his shoulder and held it tight.

Creed watched his cat with a bit of shock. He knew Train didn't like the idea, but Creed thought this was a bit of an overreaction. "Train… Don't you think you're being a little immature?"

Train huffed and brushed the law student away with his hand. "No, I'm not. You're right, this could help the case and we know how important that is."

Creed sighed in frustration and touched his husband's shoulder. "Don't twist my words like that, Train."

"Again, I'm not. I'm telling you that you're right. You better leave before it gets too late." He didn't look at Creed as he spoke. His stress level was rising and his head was hurting more. However, he didn't let his partner know this. He was too mad.

Creed watched his cat's back sadly for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Can… Can I at least wait until Sephiria calls about the evaluation? I just want to make sure the time she picks won't be in the way of anything the doctors have planned."

Train kept his back to Creed and even pulled his shoulder out of the silver man's hand. "Just call the doctors and let them know. It's not like my opinion matters right now. My schedule is at the hands of the medical staff anyway."

Creed knew what he really meant by that comment and sighed painfully as he took his hand back. "Train…"

"Just go. I'll figure it out." Train still refused to look at him. At this point his head hurt so much he just wanted to sleep. "Could you let the doctors know I'm going to sleep before you leave?"

The silver man did not leave right away. He gazed at his cat pleadingly, hoping Train would feel his eyes on him and turn around to tell him everything was fine. However, he knew that wasn't going to happen and stood up from the bed. His heart was shattering knowing not only that he was leaving Train, but also that his beloved was mad at him. Especially in his state right now, that wasn't a good thing.

Creed stood next to Train's bed and tried one more time. "Train… I'll come back right away if you need me. I promise. This is for you. Everything I do is for you."

Train didn't respond and Creed felt like crying. He leaned forward and kissed the back of his love's head. The golden man did not respond to the gesture either which made Creed feel like throwing up. He sighed again and stepped towards the door, stopping before he walked out to give his beloved one more look. Train's back was still facing him and Creed clutched his chest in pain.

"I love you, Train…"

His cat didn't respond at first, but Creed gave him a minute. Eventually, his partner mumbled his love back, but still did not turn around. Although Creed barely heard it, he felt at least somewhat comforted that Train still wanted to say it back. The silver man smiled sadly and walked away.

_I'll come back, Love. I promise._

* * *

It had been a few hours since Creed left and Train had a hard time getting relaxed. He knew he was being a bit of a brat and wanted to apologize, but he couldn't. Even if he had a phone, he wasn't allowed to be on it so he couldn't even call or text Creed. Still, there was a part of him that was mad. Maybe it was just his irritability talking, but he thought Creed wasn't really thinking about him.

_But he is thinking about me. Long term, if this case goes south, I may never be able to see him again. If the court decides in favor of Edo and Clark, they might put Creed away..._

The cat groaned as he rolled over and checked the clock on the wall. It was just past six now and he felt like he hadn't been able to rest at all. His mind kept wandering to the conversation with Creed, to the case, and to Edo possibly showing up again. While the restraining order was back in place and the officer wasn't allowed to enter the building, there was still a part of him that felt like he wouldn't care. With Creed gone, he had no buffer between him and the older man and there was no way he'd be able to fend him off in his current state.

Another painful moan emitted from his lips and he clutched his head. All this stress was making him extra anxious and now that Creed was gone, he had nothing to take his mind off it. Even having his phone or a television or something would have been better than sitting in his dimly lit room by himself.

_Hell, I'd even take one of Eve's books at this point! Actually, I don't think I'm allowed to even read right now…_

Anything that would keep his mind occupied he wasn't allowed to do. Not only was Creed good company, but the silver man was able to give him something else to do and someone to talk to instead of just sitting by himself, bored out of his mind. Normally, growing bored easily was just a trait he had that he could easily fix with a number of activities. Now, it was a source of dread since his thoughts could drift to more unpleasant thoughts.

That's why despite Creed's good intentions, Train thought this was the worse option. If he was going to be ready for trial, he needed to be able to focus. Having this time to himself could only make him more stressed. He didn't have anyone to bounce his anxiety ridden thoughts off of or talk him off a clif. While Train saw the irony in him over thinking or over complicating things and Creed being the one to set him straight, that didn't make it any better. Usually, the golden man was the laid back one of the couple while Creed was always planning and making things more than what they needed to be. The roles were reversed right now, and Train was starting to see it wasn't really fun being Creed.

_And now I know how it feels wanting to be with someone you can't…_

On top of all this tension of being bored, thinking about Edo and the trial, what Train really wanted the most right now was to be with his partner. It didn't cause him stress or anxiety to not have Creed around, he wasn't **that** needy, but it hurt knowing the one person you wanted to be with wasn't there. He tried to use this knowledge to humble himself by realizing this was how Creed felt his entire life, it didn't help. Knowing this is the pain he caused his husband for so many years only made him feel guilty, which added to the stress and anxiety that caused his head to throb.

_This is only one night. Creed had to endure this for fifteen years…_

That's the thought he tried to settle on to make himself get through this. If Creed could do that for fifteen years, Train could handle a few nights. Whenever his brain tried to counter that thought with Creed not having a concussion the time, he pushed the thought aside and reminded himself of what this was for.

He sighed deeply then felt a rush of pain shoot to his head. He rubbed his temples and shut his eyes tight. "Damnit... Why can't I just sleep?"

A light knock at the door made him open his eyes. He smiled at the family standing there, holding some flowers and a plate of brownies.

"Hope this is a good time to visit." Dante said as he stepped into the room.

Train was about to nod, but reminded himself that the gesture hurt. "This is actually the perfect time. I was starting to get really bored."

Dante smiled and took a seat next to Train. Trish stepped in after him, holding Tak's hand as he blushed wildly and held a pile of books in his small arms. When Train smiled at him, he blushed again and hid behind his mother. The woman frowned down at him and pulled him from behind her.

"Honey, you've been dying to see him since he woke up. Now's not the time to be shy." She placed the brownies next to Train whose eyes brightened at them. He ate a while ago, but hospital food was nothing compared to something homemade.

Dante laughed when he saw Train eye the sweets and handed them over to him. "Go ahead. Dig in. She's been working on these all day."

The cat took them eagerly and shoved one in his mouth. He smiled at Trish as he devoured another. "These are amazing!"

She laughed and pushed her son forward, who was still blushing and hiding behind a book. "Thank you. It was my grandma's recipe."

Tak moved forward a little bit when his mother pushed him, but continued hiding behind a book. His father smiled at him and pulled the book away. "Did you want to ask Train a question?"

The boy narrowed his eyes a little at his dad, then looked at Train briefly, blushing and holding a book between them. "C-can I r-read to y-you?"

The golden man smiled at the look in his eyes. The boy reminded him so much of Creed when they were kids. Shy, quiet, smart, unable to talk to him without blushing or stuttering.

_That's new, though. Last time I saw him, he was very confident. Wonder what changed?_

The thought sparked a memory in his head and he reached to the side of his bed and grabbed the robot sitting on top of the nightstand. "Only if you're okay reading to Robot Train as well. He's been super bored too."

Tak smiled brightly at the toy, happy to see the cat kept it next to him at all times. He then blushed again when he looked at Train, nodded his head profusely as he did so. "Y-yes, that's f-fine."

Train scotted over in his bed and looked at the child's parents to make sure it was okay. Just as they were about to nod yes, Tak had already started climbing onto the bed next to Train. Similar to when he sat on Creed's lap when they first met, he didn't ask for permission. The part of him that liked physical contact didn't seem to change at all.

His dad needed to help him a little, but for the most part he was able to get up on his own. Once there, he leaned against Train and snuggled in close. The golden man put the toy on his lap so he could see the book Tak was holding once he started. However, the boy apparently needed a few minutes as he looked through the pile. He kept looking at the title then tossing it aside, making his dad catch a few as they fell off the bed. The boy didn't care because he was on a mission to find the perfect book.

Trish looked around and noticed Creed was not there. "Where is your partner?"

Train tried to hide his frown, not wanting them to get involved in his personal life any more than they already were. "He needed to go home for a bit to catch up on some school work. He's missed a lot of classes due to this whole mess and needed some time to hand in some assignments."

The cat kind of hoped that was true. Creed had missed a lot of classes lately, so he was hoping the silver man was able to at least use this time so he didn't fall too far behind. While he knew Creed had done his best to keep up with his studies during this whole mess, Train figured it was probably hard for him to concentrate enough to get as much done as he needed to.

Trish nodded, seeming to accept that answer. "Just seems strange. He's so devoted to you I figured it'd be impossible to find you here without him."

Train shrugged his shoulders and tried to hide his sadness. It was easier to do with how dark the room was, but he wasn't sure how good of a job he was doing.

Dante spoke now, his voice full of concern, reminding him a lot of his late father. "How are you feeling?"

Train smiled at the man. "Pretty good, all things considered. My wounds are mostly healed and I can get around okay by myself. Other than the concussion, I'm almost back to normal."

"Ah, is that why it's so dark and quiet in here?" Trish said as she picked up a book her son had let fall to the floor. She tried to give him a warning look, but the boy didn't care. All that seemed to matter to him right now was to find a book worthy of being read to his hero.

"Yup. Light is the enemy right now. Well, that and a few officers I won't name." He laughed a little as Tak squinted at another book and tossed it aside with the others. "Why did you bring so many if you were going to look for just one?"

Tak froze and blushed bright enough that Train could see it in the dark. "I j-just… w-wanted to be p-prepared."

The cat grabbed a random book and held it up. "What about this one?"

Tak shook his head. "No. Too short."

"Too short! It's bigger than my thumb! I'd say that's pretty long for a kid you age." Train held his thumb to the book as evidence.

The boy blushed and tried to look cocky. "I'm a-actually five n-now. I'm all g-grown up like y-you. I-it's big because it h-has a lot of p-pictures."

The cat laughed at the boy's reaction and messed with his hair. "Did I miss your birthday?"

Tak blushed again and nodded, but did not respond verballey. Train shoved a brownie in his mouth and smiled at his small, confused face. "Well then, happy birthday, **sir**."

The boy smiled as he ate the brownie quickly then snuggled a little closer as he finally pulled out a book he'd been looking for. Train was able to read the title in the dark and chuckled a little under his breath.

"Why You're My Hero!" Tak held it to Train triumphantly, then opened and began to read.

As he read, Train couldn't help but notice a few words were crossed out and replaced with something else. The handwriting looked like that of a child, so Train assumed Tak had taken some liberties on the book. This was confirmed to him when he noticed a few key words had been changed to match their situation. It was made blatantly obvious when he noticed the character who was the hero to the narrator had his eyes colored in a dark shade of yellow and had brown, spiky hair drawn on top of his head. Train decided not to say anything, knowing it would just embarrass the boy.

Once he was done, he looked at Train for approval and the cat responded how he did the first time the boy read a book to him. Tak blushed again and beamed brightly at him. He handed the book to the cat while still smiling happily.

"I-it's for you. I-I made it f-for you to k-keep. Y-you can read it a-again if you f-feel sad or l-lonely."

Train gave him a warm smile and took the book gently. "Thank you, Tak."

The boy's face grew redder as he grabbed another book from his pile. This one was a little different in that it was about superheroes. Although it didn't have as much of a personal touch as the other book did, Train still noticed a few pictures of himself drawn in the corner, wearing a cape. Again, he chose not to say anything, knowing that would most likely just embarrass the child.

The next two hours flew by quickly as Tak continued reading books and talking to Train. His parents jumped in the conversation a few times, but the golden man could tell they were mainly there because Tak wanted to see Train. They were clearly worried about his condition and wanted to make sure he was okay, but it was also obvious they didn't want to disturb him for too long. They wanted to give him time and space to recover and they voiced that several times when they tried to get Tak to leave, but he refused until he had read all the books to Train.

"Tak, that wasn't the plan. We said you could bring books to pick from, not that you could read Train an entire library." Trish said, a little annoyed at her son.

Tak shook his head and clung to Train's arm. "No. He's lonely. I can tell."

Train laughed and messed with the child's hair. "It is getting late, Tak. You probably need to go to bed soon." Seeing his mother nod, Train smiled. "Why don't you come back tomorrow?"

Again, the boy shook his head and buried his face in Train's arm. Dante signed from next to Train and stood. "Listen, I need to use the bathroom anyway. Why don't you pick one more book to read and then we leave?"

Tak nodded and removed his face from Train's arm and picked out another book. Dante gave his wife a defeated shrug as she glared at him a little as he stepped into the bathroom behind him. As Tak began reading the book and snuggled back into Train's side their attention was brought to the door by another gentle knock. Standing there was a short, chubby man wearing glasses. He had a clean shaved face and bald head with brown eyes that shined with compassion.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm here to speak with Mr. Heartnet. My name is Micah Torres. I'll be evaluating Mr. Heartnet this evening."

Trish looked at Train a little uneasy and the cat put a hand up to calm her. "It's fine, Trish. It's standard procedure for the case. Don't worry."

That satisfied the woman and stood to retrieve her son. "That's fine, we need to get going anyway."

Tak latched back onto Train's arm and buried his face back into his shoulder. "No! Daddy's still in the bathroom."

Trish sighed knowing that wasn't the real reason he didn't want to go. Just as she was about to protest, Train spoke. "Mr. Torres, can my friend here just read one more book? We promised him that much."

Tak turned sad eyes on the man at the door but still held onto Train's arm. The man smiled kindly. "Only if I can hear the story too."

The boy nodded enthusiastically and let go of the golden man's arm so he could open the book. Once more, he curled back against Train's side, rested his head on his arm and read the book to this captive audience. By the time he finished his dad had entered the room again and Tak reached for another book before any adult could stop him. However, his dad was faster and grabbed the book from his hand along with the rest he had on the bed.

"We said one more, Tak. It's getting late. You need to go to bed and it looks like Train has company." Dante nodded the man sitting in his chair who responded with a friendly nod of his own.

Tak frowned deeply and clung back to Train. "That's not fair! I only read like two books."

Trish rolled her eyes and took the empty plate that once held a pile of brownies. "No, you read five and you brought seven. That means you almost read all of them."

The boy did the math on his fingers and held two fingers to his mom. "That means there are only two more! I can read two more real quick."

"Tak, no." His mother sounded serious now. "It's getting late. You need to go to bed."

He whimpered at his mom and tried to hide himself in Train's chest. The cat laughed when he felt Tak shake his head and curl up on his lap, gripping tightly to his hospital robe. Train rubbed the top of his head playfully, then pulled his head up so he was looking at the cat.

"It's okay, buddy. You can read me the last two tomorrow."

Tak blushed again then put his head back against Train's chest. The golden man grimaced a little when the both accidently brushed his knee against the not fully healed wound of his stomach. Creed had learned where Train's wounds were and was careful to avoid them, but the boy did not have the capacity to keep in mind he might hurt Train with his hugs.

_Man, he really is just like Creed._

Dante saw the pain in Train's eyes and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Tak, that's enough. Let's go."

The boy whined a little and looked up at Train. The cat was smiling at him which made him blush again. Tak gave Train one more hug, then jumped off the bed and grabbed his mom's hand. The woman was still upset at her son's lack of listening skills, but decided to wait on having that conversation at home. They smiled at Train as they left, Tak trying not to cry or complain until they entered the hallway. Train laughed when he heard the child's protests and his mother shushing as it echoed down the hall. His eyes fell on the man in the room who was also laughing.

He looked at Train politely. "That young man seems quite taken with you."

Train shrugged his shoulders. "I seem to have that effect on a lot of people."

The man laughed and offered his hand to the cat. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Heartnet. I know it's late, but are you up for a chat?"

Train smiled back and offered his hand as well. "Same to you Mr…" He tried to think about it, but couldn't remember. Train grew agitated as he tried to think and clutched his head tightly as the pain began to resurface. The Gotos were a good distraction, but now he was brought back to reality.

He felt the man's hand pat his knee kindly. "It's okay, Mr. Heartnet. Your lawyer informed me of your memory problems. I wrote my name on this name tag here on my jacket. That way if you forget my name, you can just read it."

Train glanced at the nametag and frowned. "Sorry… Mr. Torres." He was embarrassed that he needed to be babied like that. He just hated being so weak and useless. "Yes, I'm up for talking. Also, could you call me Train? I don't like being called mister."

Micah nodded his head. "I can do that, Train." He looked around the room and frowned. "I was told your husband would probably be here?"

The cat frowned and felt his head begin to ache again. "He's… At home."

Micah could hear the hint of frustration in his voice and decided to start there. "That must suck for you. Stuck in here by yourself with nothing to do while he's gone."

Train blinked at the man talking so casually to him. "Yeah. It's only been about half a day, but I've been bored out of my mind. I mean, I understand why he left. He has a lot of work to catch up on and apparently his presence here might actually be hurting us in the trial…"

The man tilted his head in confusion. "How so? It makes sense to me that a spouse would want to be by their partner's side during such a traumatic event."

Train sighed morosely. "The defense's argument is that he is an obsessed stalker who is controlling everything I say and do through fear."

Micah thought about that for a second before responding. "Is that true?"

"No." He said it quickly, firmly, and with so much confidence the therapist could tell it was the truth. "It may not have started this way, but Creed means everything to me. He's loved me literally his entire life and I may be slow to the race, but… I love him too. It kills me to think that they're trying to use his past against him."

"What do you mean?" Micah crossed his legs and leaned forward, letting the cat know he was listening.

Train sighed, not sure where to start. "It's a long story…"

The man smiled. "I've got time."

Train took this time to explain their past. About when he really first met Creed and when **he** thought they first met. How Creed had copied his schedule their senior year to get closer to him, how the silver man secretly helped him pay his bills all those years, and how he left a rose on his desk every day before school. About when Creed first told him he loved him and Train's initial reaction and how their friendship was able to survive after that. He told him about the time his partner was attacked in the alley and when Creed was in the hospital. Finally, he told him how that was when Train realized there was something more to their relationship than just a friendship.

Micah blinked. "Wow. Sounds like you guys have been through a lot. I think if you tell that story to the court, there's no way they'd believe you were being controlled."

The cat smiled weakly. "I guess we'll see…"

"Why don't you sound confident about that?" Micah adjusted his glasses so he could see the other man better.

"We're going up against two well respected police officers. I could see at least one juror agreeing with the defense and believing I don't have a mind of my own." The idea of that hurt him a lot. Train was always an independent person. He considered himself to be a 'free cat' and being told that he wasn't was a stab to his heart.

"Well, from what you're described to me, it sounds like you've always been able to take care of yourself to the point of frustrating your friends, so you clearly have a mind of your own. If Creed wasn't there to help, you might not have made it this far."

Train smiled, happy to hear he was able to see the truth. "Yeah… I couldn't have made it through high school without him. Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to make it as an adult without him. He says I'm supporting him through school, but I see it as pay back for what he did for me."

Micah laughed. "I don't think that's how relationships work."

The golden man shrugged his shoulders. "I know. But it's fun to mess with him."

"It sounds like you have a really loving, strong, and healthy relationship. I can't see how the court wouldn't see that after you take the stand."

" **If** I take the stand…" Train's heart was lifted talking about his husband, but it sank knowing he might not be able to do anything.

The therapist smiled again. "That's what I'm here for. Do you think you can talk about that night? Or the day at the station?"

Again, the can sighed. "It's all I've really been thinking about. Without Creed here and with nothing else to distract me, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't even sleep..."

Micah Frowned. "That's a problem. Let's see if we can fix that."

Train went over every detail he remembered from the day at the station and the night of the shooting. As he spoke, he felt his head hurting more and more, but didn't mention that fact. He knew this was important and stopping for his pain seemed selfish to him. The cat needed to get this out and get cleared to go to trial.

However, the therapist was able to see his pain and stopped. "Train, if you need to take a break, we can pick this up tomorrow."

Train smiled to try and mask the pain. "No, I'm okay."

It was harder to get through these memories without Creed here. He felt himself speaking harshly at certain points, choking on certain words, and even freezing up at some memories. Train didn't think it was going very well, but Micah insisted he was fine. The therapist said over and over again he needed to be honest with his feelings if he wanted to get a true diagnosis.

"Train… That all sounds very traumatic. Not many people would have come out of that as intact as you are. You're lucky."

The cat laughed. "Guess I've got seven lives left…" When the man looked at him curiously, he elaborated. "My friends often compare me to a cat for many reasons. That time with Izo, then when I was shot." He held up two fingers for emphasis.

Micah nodded. "I would argue six. That day at the station was not what I would consider safe. You could have died then…"

Train froze at that thought. It was true, and he hadn't admitted it until now. Edo was suffocating him at several points throughout the ordeal. His vision went blurry from lack of oxygen a few times and he very well thought he might not make it out of there.

"I also wanted to ask. That night at the Goto house, you said you thought Creed was there at the time?" Micah cocked an eyebrow at him as he asked the question.

"It was… Strange. I thought he was there, but at the same time I knew he wasn't. It was like a dream that I knew I was awake for. It was like our whole relationship was flashing before my eyes. The paramedics that picked me up testified that I was calling his name, but none of them saw him there."

The older man nodded. "Right, and you said the defense was arguing he had left by then? And you were calling him out of fear?"

Train nodded and ignored the pain it brought on.

"To me, it sounds like your life was flashing before your eyes. What you went through was a near death experience. When that happens, people tend to see what was most important to them in life. If anything, that story should be more of an argument on your behalf."

Seeing Train didn't fully understand, Micah continued. "That means you saw Creed because you almost died and he is the most important person in your life."

The cat smiled at that thought. He knew this incident made him realize how he felt about Creed, but he didn't think it could be used in that manner. It made him feel a lot better and his head hurt a little less.

"Thank you, Micah."

The man nodded. "If you're ready, I would like to give you your diagnosis."

Train took a deep breath and gestured for the man to continue. "You have PTSD. I was concerned at first that you might be repressing some memories, but after hearing how clearly you remember that night and the day at the station, I don't think that's it."

The golden man said nothing, so Micah continued his explanation. "As I said before, this was a near death experience. That is enough to give anyone PTSD. On top of that, the man who attacked you just a few days before was there. While you may have been able to confront him before that night, the fact is you now associate him with two traumatic events where your life was threatened."

Train still said nothing, but nodded a little. His head was starting to hurt again at the thought of seeing Edo and what happened that night. It helped hearing that there was a way to use his memories to his advantage, but knowing he'd had to go through them again and face that man in court shook him to his core. He felt himself beginning to panic again, and really wished Creed was there to help him calm down.

Micah saw the signs of anxiety and pulled back. "We can work together and I think after a few more conversations, you'll be ready for trial." He squeezed Train's knee. "Don't give up. There's hope yet."

Train attempted a smile, but his head was still hurting and his heart felt confused. His anxiety fell a little, but not fully. The cat just wanted this conversation to be over and try to go to sleep.

As if sensing the man's thoughts, he stood and smiled kindly at Train one more time. "I think you need to rest. This was a lot we went through and it's getting pretty late."

He put his hand out for Train to shake again. The golden man took it and tried to smile again. "Thank you, Micah."

"We'll talk again soon. Have a good night."

When he left, he made sure to let the doctors know Train was going to try to sleep. He knew enough about concussions to know the golden man had to be careful whenever he slept.

After the man left, Train laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling for a little. He still did not feel settled and his head hurt alot. The cat tried to forget everything they had just gone through, but it wasn't that easy. He thought about better memories he shared with Creed and his friends, hoping they would push away the bad ones.

A few minutes later his body was too tired to stay awake and despite his mind's unease, he slept.

* * *

Creed had left their apartment so quickly he nearly forgot his shoes. One minute he was laying on the couch unable to sleep, hugging Train's pillow, wearing one of his love's shirts, and surrounding himself with his cat's pictures and the next he was calling a cab to drive him to the hospital. Apparently, after Train's visit with the therapist his beloved had fallen asleep, then had a seizure.

The silver man was kicking himself. Train told him he wasn't going to be okay without him and Creed didn't listen. He had put the case before his cat's well being and he wasn't going to forgive himself for that. However, self hate was going to have to come later. Right now, all that mattered was getting to his husband and making sure he was okay.

Creed burst through the hospital doors, ignoring everyone asking who he was here to see as he charged down the hallway. A few nurses recognized him and made a path for him. When he finally made it to Train's room he saw his beloved sitting up and looking a bit dazed with his doctor and nurses surrounding him. His partner was looking around the room in confusion, as if he was looking for someone, but also as if he didn't see anyone.

Finally, his golden eyes landed on Creed and he settled a little and reached his hand out. That was the only invitation the silver man needed to rush to his beloved's side and take his hand. The doctors informed him that Train was still coming out of the seizure and probably wasn't really sure what was going on.

However, the whole team was shocked when Creed kissed Train lovingly on the lips and pulled him against his chest. The golden man still seemed a bit bewildered, but Creed's gesture seemed to bring him back a bit and the cat was able to focus a little. They could only stare as Creed spoke kind and loving words to his partner and the golden man slowly came back to reality.

"Umm… Mr. Diskence, can we talk?" The doctor said as Creed kept his eyes and hands on his beloved.

"Yes, but I'm not leaving Train." He climbed into the bed next to his cat and held him gently against his chest.

"That's fine, you don't have to. In fact, that seems to be helping him." The doctor moved to the side of the bed and checked Train's pulse. "The seizure was not very long, so that's good news. However, the bad news is we don't know what caused it. He was sleeping fine and then he had an attack."

Creed ran his hands against his partner's back and hair, squeezing him a little tighter, hoping that would help bring him back. "Is it possible for a dream to cause a seizure?" The silver man had a theory, but wanted the advice of a medical expert before he jumped to conclusions.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, it is possible. Especially with a concussion." He then realized what Creed was thinking. "The therapist was here doing an evaluation on him earlier. I guess it is possible that triggered a traumatic dream which caused a seizure. We won't know until he's able to focus enough to tell us."

Creed kissed the top of Train's head as the golden man settled into his chest snuggly. Even though his beloved wasn't back fully, it was good to know he was at least able to find comfort in Creed's presence. After a few more minutes, Train was able to focus more. The doctors did some tests to make sure he was back, but Creed never let go of his cat. The only time he ever released him from his hug was when they needed to test his reflexes. Even then, the silver man held Train's hand tightly.

The doctors informed him of a few other things to be careful of after a seizure, but it sounded like this was a small event that they were able to prevent from getting worse. They wouldn't know if this was going to be a reoccurring problem for a few more days. Train would be monitored closely for any more seizures, but the doctors weren't too concerned.

Once they were sure Train was okay, the doctor asked him a few questions to see if he remembered what happened. Train didn't so they informed him he had a seizure and asked what happened before that.

"I… Was I sleeping?"

The doctor nodded to confirm he was correct. "Do you recall having a dream of any kind that sparked your blood pressure to rise?"

Train thought, but the gesture hurt his head. "I… I think I had a nightmare… I don't remember exactly what it was though…"

Another nod. "That's fine. I'm sure it'll come back to you soon. In the meantime, rest."

They left the two men alone after that and Creed kissed his cat everywhere he possibly could. He started at his hand and moved up his arm and shoulder, then to his neck and cheeks landing finally on his lips. Train only responded weakly to the kiss. He was really tired and was just barely focusing on his partner. While Train knew his husband was there and embracing him, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

The silver man kissed him repeatedly on the lips, holding his head in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Love. I'll never leave you again."

Train sighed and pushed the man away from his face so he could rest on his chest. The law clutched Train's head to his body desperately. He did not stop his kisses however. Every second was filled with another peck on his beloved's head or anywhere else his lips could reach.

Train didn't stop his partner from kissing his head over and over, but snuggled his face as far as he could into the man's chest. Then, he blinked and pulled at the shirt Creed was wearing.

"Is this my shirt?" He squinted as he inspected the fabric closely, rubbing it between his fingers as if that would help him identify it better.

Creed kissed him on the head again and massaged his love's back. "Yes. I wasn't having a good night and I needed to feel closer to you."

Train laughed and removed his hand from the shirt his partner was wearing. He curled both arms against Creed's body and pressed as close to him as he could to his husband. It was a little awkward snuggling into the smaller frame, but he really needed the comfort right now.

"You really wanna compare nights?" He made sure the sarcasm was evident in his voice, despite how tired he was.

Creed sighed sadly and squeezed him tighter. "I'm so, so, so sorry, Train. I promise I'm not going anywhere this time."

Train wanted to still be mad at him, but he couldn't. He was too happy to have his partner back. The cat still felt woozy and disoriented, but Creed's presence brought some sense into his world. His head hurt less and he felt like he was finally able to relax a little.

"Good." Train said as he shut his eyes and nuzzled a little closer. "The therapist said I have PTSD."

Creed blinked at his beloved's bluntness and looked down at him. He sighed and kissed Train again. "I guess that makes sense… Two almost back to back traumatic events could do that to someone."

"He also said because it was a near death experience." He gripped Creed's chest tightly when he started to think about that night again.

Creed rested his cheek on Train's head and held him closer. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Love."

"No, I want to. It's easier with you here. Besides, I want to go over it before I forget anything." Train adjusted himself a little against his partner. He pulled his legs up so they could wrap around Creed's and the silver man returned the motion.

"I didn't tell you this, but that night, I saw you." He could feel Creed's confused eyes on him so he continued. "I saw our lives together. From when we were in high school to just a few days before the shooting."

The silver man ran his fingers through Train's hair. "You saw your life flash before your eyes. That makes sense."

"No, you don't get what I'm saying." Train lifted his head to look at Creed. "I saw **you**. That… That was when I realized how I really felt…" He let his head fall back down, unable to hold it up for that long. "The therapist said when you have a near death experience, you see what was most important to you in life, not necessarily your whole life."

Creed smiled and returned to his repetitive kisses. He knew it was a tragic story, but he couldn't help feeling joy over his love seeing him in his moment of need. "That's why the paramedics said you were calling me?"

"Yes. Which means we have something to use against the defense. I know they were trying to use that against us, but now we know what it really was about. I was calling for you because I needed you, not because I was scared."

The silver man sighed and rested his head on his cat again. "That's good. I mean, I know it's hard for you reliving that, but… It's good to know we have a rebuttal for that argument."

"Yeah, but Creed…" Train tried not to move his head since it hurt. "I hope you understand what I'm trying to tell you. At that moment, I was convinced you were there, but at the same time I thought you were leaving. I… Thought I was never going to see you again."

"Shh, Train, it's okay. I'm here." The law student kissed him again and rubbed his back tenderly.

The golden man sighed at his husband's touches and felt himself growing even more tired, but he wanted to finish his thought before he fell asleep. "That night, when I was first brought here. Remember when I pulled off the mask and you tried to put it back on?"

Creed nodded. "Yeah, I was really mad at you for doing that."

"I know, shut up, I'm trying to tell you something." He sighed again at his agitated response. "I actually told you that night I loved you. But, you left the room. After that… There was nothing."

Train felt Creed tense up and held him tighter. "That… That was when… When you…"

"When I died?" Creed shook violently and buried his face in Train's hair. "Creed, I didn't. I'm alive. Don't go there right now."

The law student nodded, but did not remove his head. "I know what you're trying to say, Train. And thank you. You have no idea how much your love means to me."

The cat laughed. "Funny thing is, I think you're right. I've never had to fight for your attention, but you did your whole life. But, if it was anything like this night has been, I don't know how you did it."

Creed laughed as well and went back to his kisses. "So, did you get the all clear from the therapist?"

"Not entirely. He left so I could rest and after all this, I'm not sure what he's going to say. He's coming back tomorrow and is hopeful if we work together I'll get there." He felt himself drift off for a second, but woke himself up. The golden man wanted to enjoy the company of his partner a little longer before he fell asleep.

"I'm sure Sephiria can get the date pushed back a bit. Especially after the seizure. And I don't see how they can swing that in their direction. I **wasn't** here and that basically made you worse."

Train sounded a little upset at the silver man as he spoke. "Yeah, you got what you wanted. Happy?"

Creed whined. "No! Not at all!" He showered him in kisses again and rubbed his shoulder and back as lovingly as he could. "I just want to help you, Love."

"I know, I'm just messing with you… Kind of." Once more, he wanted to be mad, but was enjoying his husband's touches and reactions too much. He felt his eyes shut again, and tried to keep them open.

Creed felt his cat yawn against his chest and laughed. "Train, go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

That was enough of an invitation for the man and he was almost immediately asleep. The silver man smiled at his beloved and kissed him again. He snuggled his face as close as he could to his husband and sighed contentedly. While he still hated himself for leaving Train alone, it was impossible to have any negative feelings when the beautiful man was sleeping in his arms.

Creed brushed his love's hair aside and kissed his forehead. "I'll never leave you again, Love. I'll protect you no matter what."

* * *

Sephiria walked down the hallway with a purpose. She was cursing in her head angrily, but her face was calm and collected. The tall blonde had just left the hospital where her clients had just told her how it went with the therapist and about Train's seizure. The reason she had to conceal her anger right now was due to the conclusion the three of them had come to: They needed to push the trial back a little more while Train worked through his issues with the therapist.

This was a problem because she had already asked for an extension after Train woke up. They also already had to restart the whole trial. All in all, what should be a slam dunk case was turning into an epic tale of war. And right now she was on her way to confront the final boss.

_Why am I doing this pro-bono again? Oh right, those kids…_

Sephiria knew Train and Creed were no longer kids, but she would always see them as that. When they met, they were just two teenagers who had gone through too much at such a young age. She didn't know why, but she had grown a soft spot for them. There was just something about those blue and golden eyes that made her want to strangle and protect them at the same time.

Money was also not an issue for her either. Despite her young age, she was able to start her own law firm. It was a very cleanly run business with enough clients that she could afford to do a pro-bono case. And being her own boss, she didn't have to answer to anyone about that decision. Still, it annoyed her that those two men could make her feel such softness. She hated showing weakness.

_That boy, though… He shows promise._

She couldn't help but notice how much talent Creed had for the career path he chose. It was clear to her how smart he was when they first met, but this showed a different side of him. Despite his complete and utter infatuation with Train, he was able to think with a level head and make competent decisions in the golden man's regard. Having been his lawyer in a previous case, she knew he was capable of reacting instinctively when it came to his beloved partner. The fact that he was not only able to keep it together for the trial, but also give some great insight and ideas impressed her beyond belief.

_That phone thing... I can't believe he thought to do that on the fly and under such immense pressure._

She still couldn't get over that he pulled out Train's phone when his cross exam was going south. It was totally unplanned and gave them really strong evidence to work with. And at the time, Creed was under such an incredible amount of stress. She was a little scared when that darkness came over him, but he was somehow able to get past that and put up a good fight. Probably had something to do with his massive love for Train. While the golden man was a huge source of his emotional reactions, he was also the reason for him to make calm and rational decisions.

Sephiria nodded to herself. That was one of the reasons she had gotten so attached to them and wanted to help them free of charge. Their relationship was a bond she had never seen before. Creed's complete devotion for Train shone bright when she first met them. It was undeniable how much the man entirely and truly loved his partner that it maddened Sephiria the court possibly see it as anything different.

And she watched as Train slowly returned the man's feelings. Yes, he definitely cared about Creed a lot when they first met, but it wasn't quite love yet. However, even their friendship was special. Seeing how the cat had fallen so hard for Creed, Sephiria couldn't help but feel sympathy. Watching their partnership blossom was an incredible picture to witness be painted, and she'd be damned to stop the artist mid stroke.

Finally reaching her destination, she knocked on the door lightly and waited to be admitted. Hearing someone acknowledged her presence, she opened the door and stepped into the room. The judge for the trial was sitting behind her desk and Mako was in a chair in front of her. The judge smiled as she took a seat, Mako not bothering to look at her. She didn't care since she didn't plan on greeting him either.

"May I ask why Ms. Arks called us here again? I feel like every other day you're asking for something else." Mako sounded annoyed and glanced at her quickly, then put his eyes back on the judge.

Sephiria crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "Well, if you had a client who just came out of a coma after being shot four times, you might understand."

"I'm going to interrupt before you two can even get started. Ms. Ark, just tell us why we're here." The judge was getting tired of their arguing. She knew they were on opposite sides of a case, but these two really hated each other.

The tall blonde looked at the judge as she spoke, making sure she made eye contact. "We need another extension. Mr. Heartnet-"

"Oh, come on!" Mako yelled, nearly jumping out of his chair. " **Again**?! What is this, the third time?"

She rolled her eyes at his reaction. "The first time wasn't my call. The court called for the restart after my client supplied new evidence."

"And who's fault is that for not finding it all in the first place?" Mako raised an eyebrow at her and relaxed back into his chair.

"Don't even try to pull that, Mako." Sephiria leaned over to him as she talked, gripping the arm of her chair slightly.

"Once more, here is my voice interrupting you before I lose my temper for real." The judge's force was angry, but controlled. Both lawyers looked back at her and she sighed and rubbed her head. "Ms. Arks, what is the reason for the extension this time?"

Sephiria nodded. "As I was saying… After Officer Edo paid them a visit and my client experienced a panic attack due to said visit, we had him meet with a therapist to be evaluated."

Mako scoffed. "So the therpatist concluded that Mr. Heartnet is a victim in Mr. Diskence's toxic version of love? Do you need extra time to recant the narrative you created?"

The lawyer merely glanced at him, but made sure he saw the spite in her eyes. She chose not to answer this question and continued her statement. "... And the therapist said Mr. Hearnet has PTSD due to the two attacks made on him by Mako's clients."

Mako crossed his arms and sighed loudly. "Your honor, how do we know he didn't have it already? Mr. Diskence's obsession with the man probably created it many years ago. That or maybe even watching his parents murdered in front of him. The man has been through more than one trauma in his life."

Sephiria remained calm, but was extremely offended that he thought she was so thoughtless of a lawyer to help someone who was that corrupt and careless enough that she could ever forget to check for important mental issues before starting a trial.

"...The therapist said the reason for this condition were the attacks. This was proven when it only happened **after** Edo's visit. Those are **his** words not mine." She waited to see if she would be interrupted again. When Mako stayed quiet, she continued. "Because of this mental condition and his physical condition, the panic attack and reliving the story with the therapist created a seizure while he slept."

The judge changed her demeanor from angry to scared as she voiced concern for the man. "Is he okay?"

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. He's fine. But, now knowing about his PTSD combined with his concussion and seizure, we want to give him a little more time. The therapist also wants to have a few more sessions with him to decide if he can be in the same room as Officer Edo."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Oh please. This all just sounds like an excuse to give them time to come up with a new story. They have no evidence saying Mr. Heartnet didn't already have PTSD and how do we know for sure the seizure was the result of it? His head was hit on a concrete step after Mr. Diskence pushed him down. **That** probably caused the seizure."

"We have the word of a professional who caused his PTSD and I knew Mr. Hearnet before this. He displayed no signs of trauma at the hands of Mr. Diskence. If anything, Mr. Diskence's presence is what helps keep him relax." Sephiria gave him another quick look, then turned back to the judge.

"We don't know who the prosecution called as their therapist. I'd like to see some credentials." Mako looked at Sephiria when he spoke this time.

"They will be provided, trust me." Another fast glance, at the man but she turned back to business with the woman behind the desk.

The judge nodded. "I understand your delmia, Ms. Arks, but this is getting to be a bit much. The jury could become compromised and we may have to replace them again if we keep pushing it back."

Sephiria leaned forward and inched to the edge of her chair. "You honor, I promise this is it. Trust me, when the jury hears Mr. Heartnet's testimony, our case will be made."

"I'm sure it will." Mako made sure he sounded sarcastic.

The woman behind the desk ignored him and asked the tall blonde a question. "How long did you want?"

Sephiria thought for a minute before she responded. She knew the first extension she would offer would be immediately shot down, so she picked a high number to start with. "Another week."

"That's outrageous, your honor! The jury needs to get home to their family!" Mako slammed his fist on the arm of the chair and leaned forward so he was closer to the judge.

Again, Sephiria ignored his outburst in favor of the judge. She knew it would be shot down and was just waiting for the counter offer.

The judge nodded. "I agree, that is rather long. I'm sure both your clients want this case to be over."

Sephiria nodded and, once more, ignored the fuming man next to her. "How about five days…"

Mako sighed loudly next to her, showing his displeasure. "This is ludicrous. They shouldn't be allowed more time because their entire narrative needs to be retold. Mr. Diskence has been with Mr. Heartnet this entire time, corrupting him all over again. The more time we give them alone, the more time he has to warp Mr. Heartnet's mind."

Now, Sephiria decided it was time to address him. "Mr. Diskence **did** step away for a night. However, **that** was last night, which was when the seizure occurred. Due to having to relive the story of Edo and Clark and having Edo pay him a visit earlier in the day, Mr. Heartnet had a terrible nightmare. Without the comfort of his husband there, he was unable to calm himself down before it happened."

"A nightmare, really? I've had nightmares and never had a seizure because of it." Mako rolled his eyes again as he tried to make her story not seem credible.

"Have you ever had one after being shot four times and bash your head onto a concrete step?" Sephiria replied quickly, but calmly. However, there was something about her calm demeanor that made her statement sound harsh.

"And how do we know what that nightmare was? Again, between Mr. Diskence oppressive control and the death of his parents, he has a lot to work with in terms of nightmares."

Sephiria turned to the man full as she spoke. "Mr. Heartnet is going to testify that Mr. Diskence has prevented his nightmare's for many years just by sleeping next to him."

"Sephiria, back up a little. Did you say 'husband' earlier? When did they get married?" The judge was confused as he peered at Sephiria.

The tall blonde was expecting this and produced a copy of their marriage certificate. "When Mr. Heartnet woke up he remembered everything. He asked for the certificate immediately knowing Mr. Diskence had already signed and ready for him."

"Another big red flag, your honor. Mr. Diskence probably forced him to sign it." Mako sounded tired now. He actually was ready for this trial to be over, but he wanted to win.

Sephiria looked at him again. "I was a witness to the union."

He gave her the same serious, calm look. "But where were you before he signed it? Were you there when he woke up?"

She narrowed her eyes a little, getting sick of the man trying to twist the truth to his advantage. "No, but I will present witnesses who were there."

"That's enough, save it for the courtroom." The judge interrupted them again and looked over the document Sephiria had given her. "This changes a lot. Now we have confirmation of at least one relationship."

Edo went to speak again, but the judge stopped him. "Yes, I understand what your argument is going to be, Mr. Mako, but it's up to you to convince the jury so save it for the courtroom."

She turned to Sephiria. "Five days is still a lot…"

The lawyer nodded again, thinking that would be rejected as well. "Four, your honor?"

The judge put a hand up to stop Mako from speaking again. "Three."

Sephiria nodded and stood, putting out her hand for the judge to shake. "I can make that work."

She turned and left quickly, not bothering to listen to Mako's protests. She knew the judge was going to kick him out anyway. Afterall, she was right. They needed to settle this in court. Creed had explained how they could use the conversation Train had with Micah to their advantage, and Sephiria liked it. Now, all they needed was for Heartnet to get himself ready.

Just then, she saw her phone ring. She smiled at the number and answered it immediately. She had been waiting for this call since the trial started, but the woman on the other end was hesitant. The conversation was quick, but productive. Sephiria smiled wonderfully, and hung up the phone.

She clenched her fist and walked confidently down the hallway.

_We can do this. We can get this scumbag._


	25. The Story That Matters

Funny story, this was supposed to be the last chapter, but it turned out twice as long as any of my other chapters and I didn't finish. So there will be at least one more chapter, and I want to write an epilogue as well.

I've had a few people ask about A Different Fate and yes, I do plan on going back to that as well. Writing has been extremely therapeutic for me, so I want to keep it up.

Also, the stories that are told in this chapter about different Stockholm cases are true. I just changed the names of the victims and **slight** liberties with their stories.

CW: Yaoi in this chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or any of its character

* * *

**The Story That Matters**

Train was sitting on a bench outside the courtroom messing with his tie and just in general feeling uncomfortable. And it wasn't just because he was waiting to re-enter the courtroom.

_Why can't I seem to escape formal wear? It haunts me..._

As much as he hated wearing the suit, he hated waiting even more. However, the worst part was just as he was about to enter the courtroom, he felt himself beginning to panic when he saw Edo. It didn't help that the man smiled and winked at him when he walked in the room, which is what set him off. It was like the officer knew exactly what to do to trigger Train and unfortunately, triggering Train is what would delay the trial.

The golden man sighed and put his head in his hands. When he did that, he felt a hand rub his back lovingly and another massage his knee gently. Train looked over at Creed and smiled. His partner returned his smile and pulled the cat against his shoulder so Train could rest his head there. He did so willingly and moved a little close to the man.

Nestling his head into the space between Creed's neck and shoulder, he sighed. He felt a little more relaxed now and shut his eyes. "Thank you, Silver Dollar."

Creed kissed him on the head and squeezed his beloved tighter. "Anything for you, Love."

Sephiria's voice interrupted their tender moment as she spoke to the therapist who accompanied the trio in their journey to the courtroom.

"Will he be able to stand trial?" She tried to keep her voice low, but Train and Creed could hear her loud and clear.

Micah shrugged his shoulders. "I told you it was going to be dicey. He was only just released from the hospital today. He hasn't even had a chance to settle back in at home with his husband before he had to go to trial. He's had no time to relax."

She could tell he was a little frustrated at the rushed trial, and she sighed, sympathizing with that feeling. "I understand, but this was the best I could get. We've pushed it back too many times. I just need to know if we should start without him."

The therapist looked at Train from the corner of his eyes. "I can't give a definite answer. Only Train can say if he's ready or not."

Creed frowned, not liking how their conversation was going. "We can't force him in there if he doesn't want to. I won't put him through that."

Sephiria and Micah turned to Creed as he spoke. The lawyer looked tired, but serious as always, Micah sporting a sincere smile that was comforting as always.

"I agree, Mr. Diskence. We won't put Train through something he can't handle." Micah nodded at the silver man, hoping that would reassure him.

Sephiria rubbed her eyes, but begrudgingly agreed with the therapist. "If he falls apart of the stand, it might hurt our case. Train's also been through enough. I'd hate to traumatize him more."

Train growled against Creed's neck and rubbed his head a little. It was definitely better, which is why he was released and given a list of how to take care of his dwindling concussion at home, but headaches were still a problem. Even his short term memory got a bit better, but he still found himself concentrating extra hard on conversations so he didn't forget anything.

"Could you please stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

Train's voice brought their attention to him and Creed gave him another kiss. "I'm sorry, Love."

"Don't apologize, just give me a minute. Micah gave me some great coping tools to work with, I just wasn't expecting Edo to be **ready** for me…" Train kept his eyes shut and buried himself into Creed, trying to use the presence of his partner to comfort him.

They all knew what Train meant. Not only did the officer smile and wink at him, but he was standing so close to the doors when they came in, it was as if he was waiting for him. However, he had made it seem so casual and unintended it was nearly impossible to argue he was trying to set Train off. The defense was already arguing Edo simply wanted to see the golden man and obviously he was supposed to be in the courtroom. There wasn't a way to avoid him.

At that moment, Sven and Eve approached with a bottle of water for Train. The cat took it eagerly and drank the whole thing immediately. The panic attack had left him feeling dehydrated which didn't help his head, so he was grateful for the liquid. He thanked his two friends as Eve took the empty bottle from him and handed him another just in case he needed it. Train put it aside, choosing to save it for later.

"Sephiria, I'll be fine. I just need time to process what just happened. I can do this." He tried to give her a confident look, but he had a feeling it didn't look as strong as he thought.

The tall blonde smiled, but Train could see she wasn't convinced. "I know you can do it. I'll go explain to the judge we need a few more minutes to get ready. She's not going to like it, but I'll see what I can do."

As she stepped away, Sven and Eve sat next to Creed on the bench, but on the edge so they could lean over their silver friend to see Train. The cat was still trying to calm himself down against his partner and wasn't looking at anyone. He had cuddled into Creed pretty securely and the silver man was holding him as close as he could while caressing him wherever he could. Creed planted a kiss on him as often as possible, doing whatever he could to calm his love down.

While Creed's loving gestures towards Train were working to an extent, Micah decided to step in to help as well. He knelt down in front of the cat and placed a caring hand on the knee Creed was not touching.

"Train, remember what we talked about? Don't address him. He's trying to start a war with you and by giving him attention you are allowing him to win."

Train opened his eyes to look at the man, but did not remove his head from Creed's shoulder. "I know, that's one of the reasons I'm so mad at myself. I let him win just now."

Micah smiled again. "He may have won this battle, but you can win the war. Don't give up. You're stronger than this."

The cat smiled at his therapist. He liked how blunt and straight forward the man was. The reason Micah was able to be so effective in such a short amount of time was learning what worked on Train. The golden man didn't like beating around the bush and required tough love. Because he was so stubborn, being kind and passive would not work.

Train took a big breath of air and nodded. "Thanks, Micah." However, he still didn't feel ready to leave the warmth of his partner just yet. In fact he tried to move closer, which was impossible since he was almost on the other man's lap.

"Heartnet? Is that you?"

Train's ears perked at the voice, recognizing it from his past. He looked up and saw Baldor standing there with a nervous smile on his face. The cat blinked up at his old enemy, unsure of what to do with the situation. Train looked at Creed to see his reaction, hoping that would give him somewhat of an idea of how he should be reacting.

Creed felt his love's eyes on him and smiled. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Baldor is going to be a witness on our behalf."

Train felt even more confused by his husband's state and blinked at him dumbly. He then turned back to Baldor and gawked at the man. "Thank you, I guess?"

The tall man could hear the hesitancy in his voice, so he tried to alleviate it. "Hear- I mean, Train. I'm actually glad to catch you before the trial started. I was worried I was running late and I wouldn't get to talk to you until after." He took a deep breath before he finished. "I wanted to apologize for how I treated you in high school. I'm hoping my testimony will make up for at least some of the pain I caused you both."

Train was still bewildered and not sure what to say. He stared at the man for a few more minutes, then acknowledged the man's statement. "Is this a prank? Where're the cameras?"

Creed couldn't help but laugh at his love, happy to see a bit of his goofiness returning. That meant he was doing better. "He apologized to me as well. The defense actually tried to call him to testify against us, but he flipped the script and talked to Sephiria and now he's working with us."

Train looked at Creed as he spoke, then turned back to Baldor. The man's demeanor did seem different from high school. He didn't seem as angry or unstable anymore. There was a certain calm, humbleness to him that Train respected. He didn't know what happened to the moose over the years, but life must have thrown something at him that forced him to make a change.

The golden man smiled and stood, offering his hand to Baldor. "Well, I've always been one for second chances. Glad to see you're doing well and trying to make amends."

Baldor smiled and shook his hand. Feeling the firmness of Train's grip he now realized how much stronger the cat had gotten. His own physical fitness had suffered over the years of his terrible choices and he noticed the golden man was probably stronger than him now. Train had lean muscles instead of bulky ones, but he could tell his ex-enemy had been taking care of his physical fitness.

He laughed at the thought, and decided to voice it. "I have to say, I'm glad we're on the same side now. I don't think I could take you in a fight anymore."

Train laughed as well and gripped his hand a little harder before he let go. "That's what happens when you train all the time."

"Yeah, I should get back on that…" He flexed his arm a little and frowned. "But for now, I think we should get this show on the road."

Baldor patted Train's shoulder amicably and nodded at Creed as he walked into the courtroom. Just as he was entering the room, Sephiria was exiting. She addressed Train who was now standing, seeming to be much better than he was before.

"You ready?" She asked with a tinge of anxiety in her voice.

Train stared at the door Baldor had walked through and smiled happily. For whatever reason, having a friendly conversation with his old bully put everything into perspective. The man had clearly been put through the ringer after high school and it made Train realize how lucky he had been.

He looked down at Creed, who was smiling at him cutely. His innocent blue eyes were filled with so much adoration and he exuded such love the cat couldn't help but smile back. The golden man's heart filled with warmth and he ran a hand through his husband's hair and against his cheek, enjoying the feel of Creed's smile against his fingers as the silver man leaned his face into his hand.

He then took Creed's hand and pulled him up, pulling the man against his chest as he kissed him deftly. Creed returned the kiss as he curled his hands against his love's chest and sighed happily against Train's lip. When the golden man pulled away, he smiled at his partner affectionately and rubbed his thumb against his cheek as he allowed a moment to pass as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Life has been good to me... This won't keep me down." Train meant to think those words, but didn't regret saying them out loud after he saw the blissful look they put on Creed's face.

Train grabbed his husband's hand and turned to his friends and therapist that he had forgotten were still surrounding him. He smiled at them, then nodded at Sephiria. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

He pulled Creed towards the door with him and burst through confidently. He tangled his fingers around his silver partner's who squeezed his hand and picked up his pace a little so he was walking next to Train. The cat was trying to make it a big deal that he walked into the room holding Creed's hand of his own free will.

Edo looked at him again, but Train was able to ignore it much easier now. With the feel of Creed against his hand and the reminder of how lucky he was, the cat felt like he could take on the world. He actually made eye contact with Edo and kissed Creed's hand, making sure the officer saw it. Train smiled when he saw the man scrunch his forehead and turned abruptly, avoiding the two entirely.

Train led Creed to their spots next to Sephiria, pulling out his partner's chair as he sat him down noticeably, even kissing the silver man's hand one more time. Creed was blushing wildly at the motions. He knew Train was acting over the top on purpose to make it obvious what their relationship was, but he still enjoyed the extra attention he received from his cat.

When the golden man sat next to him, Creed smiled brightly. Train moved his chair closer to his husband and held his hand again. Creed grasped his strong fingers firmly and put his other hand on Train's knee. The cat smiled and kissed him on the cheek lightly and smiled in return.

While they began staring in each other's eyes again, fingers were shoved between their faces and snapped loudly. They both blinked and looked at the owner of the fingers. Sven looked annoyed, but there was a hint of a smile behind his stern look.

"Put the goggling eyes away for the trial. Time to concentrate."

Eve was smiling next to her husband and then next to her were Jenos and Rinslet. They were not going to be called at witnesses, but after hearing everything that happened, they wanted to come and support their friends. Jenos was laughing quietly at the pair and Rinslet pinched his arm to get him to stop.

Creed blushed again and Train nodded then turned his attention back to the judge. He knew that was enough and they needed to get to business. However, he did not let go of his partner's hand and which Creed was happy about. Even when the judge entered the room and they rose, they did not part. Throughout both lawyer's introductions they held onto each other, craving the strength of one another to get them through this.

Sephiria was up first to call witnesses. The first two she called were Sven and Eve to tell the story of Train signing the marriage certificate. Saya was there for that event as well, but Sephiria didn't think it was necessary to call her back. She was extremely far away and the Vollfied couple had proven to be strong witnesses the first time around, she didn't think she needed a third person to recant the same story.

Her questions and their testimonies were pretty straight forward. She didn't examine them for long, knowing they had pretty said all they needed to say the first time around. They were really just there to verify Train's willingness to marry Creed.

When Mako began his cross examination, it was clear the Vollfied's were not going to change their story. He tried getting them to admit Creed had applied some pressure to their feline friend, but they restated over and over again that Train was the one to ask for the document. They went so far as to say it appeared that the silver man had forgotten about it completely until Train had said something.

"So, you're telling me Mr. Diskence didn't even have the document ready for him to sign? That sounds unlikely to me." Mako looked at the jury when he said this, trying to gage their reaction to the story.

Eve shook her head. "No. It was ready. Creed had signed it way back when we first found out Train was in a coma. He just didn't offer it to Train the second he woke up."

"And why do you think that is? Probably because he knew he would need time to weasel his way back into Mr. Heartnet's traumatized mind." He answered his own question before Eve had the chance to.

Train clenched his fist at the lawyer. He couldn't believe this trial was still even happening since he was obviously willing to sit next to and embrace the very man they were trying to convince the jury he didn't want anything to do with. Yes, they were up against two well respected and well seasoned police officers, but he was a cop too. Why didn't his word matter?

_Because my time on the force has been short compared to theirs and several people in the precinct already testified that I have done a terrible job unless I was paired with Edo._

That idea is what they also tried to use to prove his fictional relation with Edo was more healthy than his real one with Creed. They were saying without Edo, Train was useless at his job and a terribly ineffective cop.

_Still, this is total bullshit! How can they believe I'm_ _ **this**_ _abused and controlled by Creed? How can they see me sitting here, holding his hand, and still think it might not be of my own free will?_

Thinking these thoughts made him stressed and being stressed was still something that triggered headaches. He flinched a little at the pain, doing his best to hide it, but couldn't help the quiet groan that left his lips. Train leaned his mouth against his hand, hoping that muted the sound he made.

Creed felt his cat's hand stiffen against him and rubbed his knee delicately. Train felt his partner's touch and looked at him. The silver man smiled gently and mouthed his love to the cat which calmed Train down. He kissed Creed's hand and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose himself. The golden man turned back to their Little Princess on the stand and kept his thoughts focused.

Eve rolled her eyes at the lawyer, not caring if the jury saw how sick she was of his voice. "No, it's because he was so happy that Train woke up. When we came in, Train was awake and telling Creed he loved him. After that, Creed was so happy that he seemed to barely notice we were even in the room. After we all hugged Train, he asked for the certificate and Creed gave it to him. Then they kissed and we were all happy together. The end."

The jury laughed a little at her sarcastic comment that wrapped up her story. Mako narrowed his eyes at the girl, but made sure no one else saw it. "So, he was already awake when you walked in the room?"

"Yes." She answered firmly, but knew where he was going to take this line of reasoning.

"That means you don't know how long he was awake for and Mr. Diskence had time alone with him to threaten him."

The golden haired girl sighed. "When we left, Train was still asleep. We were gone for about ten minutes. Honestly, probably less than that. We ordered food ahead of time and simply had to go downstairs to pick it up."

"But you all went, correct? Leaving Mr. Diskence along with Mr. Heartnet?"

"Yes, but again for at the most ten minutes. We wanted to give Creed time to spend with Train and get his thoughts together. It was a hard day and we knew that even though Train wasn't awake, being with him would help Creed."

Mako smirked. "I think ten minutes is plenty of time for Mr. Diskence to get back in his head. Especially if Mr. Heartnet was still just coming out of the coma. He was probably extra susceptible then."

"As a medical student, I have to say that's a rather unbelievably uninformed and uneducated statement. When someone comes out of a coma, they're usually foggy and confused. Sometimes they don't even know where they are. In ten minutes, the most Train would have been able to do was ask where he was and how he got there."

Mako eyed her annoyingly, seeming to forget he was talking to a medical student. "Yet the doctor said he recovered far quicker mentally and physically than most patients in his condition."

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I'd believe it when it comes to Train. He has nine lives, afterall."

Train smiled cheekily at his friend, who gave him a restrained smile back.

"So it is possible that Mr. Heartnet was fully conscious when he woke up and Mr. Diskence was able to get to work right away on warping his mind?"

The girl rolled her eyes again. "It's also possible Train woke up and was trying to get out his 'I love you' to Creed as quick as he could.

Mako brushed her words aside. "Either way, are we expected to take the word of a medical student over a professional?" He spoke to the jury when he said with, extending his hand outwords and rolling his eyes as he spoke.

Eve shook her head. "You don't have to. I'm sure the doctors will verify what I said when they're called to the stand. Also, I'd like to point out that I graduated from high school two years ahead of schedule and was accepted into the top medical school of the country at the age of seventeen. I'm also top of my class and graduating early once again."

He gave her another annoyed glance and faced her once more. The smile she gave him only irritated him more as he walked away from her. "No further questions…"

The blonde beauty left the stand and smiled at Creed and Train. The cat gave her a thumbs up which she nodded at and took her seat next to her husband. Sven gave her a kiss on the head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder while Jenos and Rinslet congratulated her quietly. Eve was very obviously proud of herself. This was the second time she got under the defense's skin and she was definitely having fun with it.

Sephiria smirked to herself, happy the young girl genius was able to come back for another round against Mako. "That was a great segway to my next witness, thank you Mrs. Vollfied."

Eve smiled at the woman when she turned to speak to her. As the blonde girl had predicted, next to the stand was Train's doctor. Again, his testimony with Sephiria was pretty straight forward. She asked about his physical and mental condition, which he stated were all doing better than most people in similar conditions. Other than his memory problems he was medically fit to stand trial. Added to that, he agreed with everything Eve had said about the after affects of a coma. He made sure to point out successfully manipulating someone as soon as they woke up from a coma made no sense.

However, he did make sure to mention how bad off Train was when he was brought in. As hard as it was for Train to hear, it was important to let the jury know he almost died as a result of the officers' carelessness. The golden man felt his blood pressure rising at the memory, but Creed squeezed his hand and rubbed his knee again which brought him back to reality. It was really comforting having his husband to keep him grounded.

Sephiria stepped away from the witness to make room for Mako. The defense attorney was looking through his notes, then stood with a pad of paper and approached the doctor.

"I'm glad to hear Mr. Heartnet is doing so well after such a traumatic event, but I'd like to zone in on his memory problems. Could you please elaborate?"

The doctor nodded. "Long term memory is fully intact. He's able to recall memories from his past the same as anyone else."

Mako nodded. "Right, right. I'm talking about his short term. You said that was weak?"

"Yes. But as I stated with Ms. Arks, it's getting better every day."

"And he remembers what happened that night of the shooting?" Mako cocked an eyebrow at the man as he asked his question.

Another nod. "Yes. It causes him pain to remember it, probably because of the traumatic nature of it, but he does seem to remember that night pretty clearly."

"Is that odd for a patient to remember every detail of the night of their accident?"

The doctor blinked. "I mean… That's a hard question to answer. Every patient is different."

"Then let me rephrase." Mako put his notepad down so he could fully take in the man behind the stand. "How often have you run into patients that remember the night of their accident as well as Mr. Heartnet has?"

"Umm… It's not really **common** I guess, but it is possible." He made sure to add that statement at the end so the jury knew it wasn't an unheard of scenario.

"I see… And Mr. Diskence has been with him the whole time at the hospital, correct?"

The doctor shook his head. "No. There was one night Mr. Diskence went home. That was the night Mr. Heartnet had the seizure."

"When did the seizure happen?"

"We thought it was when he was sleeping at first, but when we talked to him about it, Mr. Heartnet described that he woke up and pushed the button to call for help because he felt himself starting to panic and he didn't know what else to do. It took him a bit to remember doing that, but he confirmed that on his own."

Mako nodded. "And what is your medical opinion on what caused the seizure?"

"Extreme stress. After his encounter with Officer Edo and reliving his traumatic events with the therapist, Mr. Hearnet described having a terrible nightmare which triggered the seizure." He sounded confident as he told the story, sure that was the reason for it. It may have taken a bit for Train to remember the nightmare, but by the next morning, he was able to confirm that it was true.

"Did Mr. Hearnet tell you about the nightmare, or did Mr. Diskence?" Mako folded his arms as he spoke.

"Mr. Heartnet did…" It was the truth, he just didn't add in Creed had offered the idea first.

"Again, let me rephrase. Did you hear Mr. Diskence tell this story at all **before** Mr. Heartnet did?"

The doctor sighed and looked apologetically at Creed and Train as he answered. "Yes… Mr. Diskence brought it up first…"

"That seems a bit convenient, don't you think?"

The doctor shook his head. "You haven't been there with them. You haven't seen them together. The second Mr. Heartnet saw Mr. Diskence, he was still coming out of the seizure yet he immediately reached for Mr. Diskence. When someone comes out of a seizure, they are usually so disoriented they don't even know where they are. Mr. Heartnet was exactly like that, until he saw his husband. And when Mr. Diskence embraced him, Mr. Heartnet was able to focus even more. I've never seen someone regain their senses so quickly after having a seizure."

"How do you know that wasn't fear instead of love?"

The doctor eyed him curiously. "Because I don't think you'd reach for someone you feared…"

"Are you a mental health expert?"

The man behind the stand blinked. "No..."

Mako smiled. "Then I think we should leave mental issues to the experts." The lawyer stepped towards the jury and continued his questioning. "Did Mr. Heartnet describe the dream to you?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "No. There was no reason to make him tell it again and risk triggering another seizure."

Mako put his hands up. "Fair enough. Let's get back to his memory, you say it's getting better?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. As I said several times already, his long term was always fine, but his short term is better. He's getting better at recalling events from earlier in the day than he was before."

"But it's still not totally intact, correct?"

The doctor sighed. "Yes… That's correct."

"So, it's possibly he still isn't telling the whole truth because he might not know what the truth was?"

The doctor looked at him in frustration. "I can't say for sure because I'm not him."

Mako pointed at him and smiled. "That's right. You're not him. None of us are. The only people who can say for sure what happened that night were the ones who were there: Officer Edo, Officer Clark… and Mr. Diskence."

He turned and pointed at Creed, which made Train growl quietly as the silver man rubbed his leg to sooth him. For once, Train was the one losing his cool and Creed was keeping it together.

"Sure, Mr. Heartnet was there, but as his own doctor said, none of us can ever say for sure if he's even capable of telling the truth with his memory problems. Worse yet, he has been alone with Mr. Diskence almost this entire time, so we have no idea what that man has been saying to Mr. Heartnet. He was in a very fragile state this whole time, and may even think some of what he's saying is true because, just like his supposed nightmare, Mr. Diskence is telling him what the truth is. He is taking advantage of a mentally impaired man and filling his head with false memories."

"Objection, your honor, these are beginning to sound very much like closing statements to me. Does Mr. Mako have any more questions for my witness?" Sephiria stood and gave the judge a tired look.

The judge nodded in agreement. "Well, Mr. Mako? Any more questions before we dismiss the witness?"

The lawyer shook his head. "No. No further questions, your honor."

After Train's doctor left the stand he was replaced by several nurses who confirmed Train's condition the night of the shooting, his journey to healing, and his quick recovery. However, Sephiria chose to focus on the interactions they saw between Train and Creed. They were unbiased people in the couple's lives, so the defense couldn't use the closeness of their relationship to her clients as an excuse for them to make up stories.

Every nurse said the same thing. All they saw was a very happy couple who were extremely loving and affectionate to one another. They said how several times when they passed by or stopped in, Train was the one inviting Creed to lay with him or telling the silver man he loved him. One nurse even let slip she caught them being intimate together one time and blushed heavily as she covered her mouth quickly.

Sephiria turned and cocked an eyebrow at her two clients. Creed was blushing brightly and smiling nervously as Train used the hand that was not holding his partner's to cover his face. They forgot the door was open when that happened.

The tall blonde smirked and took advantage of this new information. This was actually a good thing. Judging by the nurse's reaction, she didn't mean to say it which meant it was true.

"If you don't mind my asking, did you see who started the act?" She knew her clients were embarrassed beyond belief, but she didn't care. It was actually a bit amusing to her.

The blushing nurse shook her head. "I only saw it for a second. I was coming to check on Mr. Heartnet as part of my daily routine, but when I saw them like that, I left and decided to come back later."

Sephiria laughed a little. "Could you describe what you **did** see?"

The girl's eyes went wide and she looked at the men in question and nearly fainted from embarrassment. She tried to apologize with her eyes, but both men were too busy trying to hide their own shame to notice.

"W-well… U-umm… They w-were… k-kissing and ummm…" She paused and stared at her twitching hands. "I-I… I s-saw Mr. H-Heartnet… ummm… Put his h-hand down Mr. D-Diskence's pants a-and…" She gestured with her own hand, but did not say it out loud. "You know…"

There were a few giggles from the jury which made Sephira smile. "I think we do. It's okay, you don't have to keep going. Would you agree that, despite the situation they're in, my clients missed each other enough and are so attracted to one another, they can't keep their hands to themselves for even a few days?"

The nurse nodded vigorously. "Yes. That was the only… **sexual** situation I ever caught them in, but there were several times nurses had to rip Mr. Heartnet's arms off Mr. Diskence while they were laying in bed together. We have also all caught them kissing many, many, many times. Almost every time one of us went in there, they were kissing or laying in an intimate position."

Sephira nodded. "Would you say Mr. Heartnet seemed like an unwilling participant?"

Another shaking of her head. "No, not at all. If anything, I would say Mr. Heartnet initiated a lot of it."

Sephiria looked at Train with a knowing smile and the golden man shrugged his shoulders and smirked at her between his fingers. She could tell Train was confirming that to be true and while he was embarrassed at their sexual life being put on trial, he wasn't ashamed to admit he had been the instigator several times.

She turned to the judge and smiled. "No further questions, your honor."

When she took her seat next to Train and Creed, she chuckled at the men who were still looking rather flustered. She patted Creed on the shoulder since he was sitting next to her and looked at Train knowingly.

"I know that was embarrassing, but believe it or not, that was actually really good for our case. She clearly didn't mean to say that, which is what made it believable."

Mako approached the red faced nurse for a few questions of his own. This confused Sephiria a little, seeing as he hadn't bothered to question any of the other medical staff. She assumed he probably didn't see the point before, but this woman seemed more talkative than the others. It was possible he thought he could get something more out of her.

"Why did none of the other staff testify to seeing any of these intimate moments with Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence?"

"I thought they did?" She remembered each of them mentioning the cuddling, which she thought counted.

Mako nodded. "Yes, but none of them mentioned such detail as you. You said you were only standing there for a second? Yet you saw **all** that in a second?"

She didn't think it was possible, but her face turned an even brighter shade of red. ""Well… I guess it was **more** than a second…"

The lawyer sighed and rubbed his eyes. "How long were you standing there for?"

The nurse squirmed a little. "Um… A few minutes? I saw Mr. Heartnet… I mean-I saw him **start** the, umm." She cleared her throat and straightened up a little. "I saw Mr. Heartnet start the… act and I stayed for a little to make sure he didn't aggravate his condition."

"If you were worried about Mr. Heartnet's condition, why didn't you stop it before it started?" Mako questioned, now beginning to think questioning her was a bad idea.

"Because I thought that would be rude…" She flinched under the eyes of the jury. "Honestly… I felt bad for them. I can't imagine what it must be like to watch someone you love so much laying unresponsive in a bed. And I can't imagine Mr. Heartnet being able to hear how much stress Mr. Diskence was under and not being able to help…"

It was clear now to Mako she liked the two men and their relationship and realized questioning her was a mistake. He dismissed her from the stand and took his seat. Sephiria could see Edo speaking to him angrily, but could not hear what they were saying. She smirked and turned back to her client.

"They really shot them in the foot with that one. At this point, they need to worry about what the sentencing will be." The lawyer whispered it loud enough that both Train and Creed could hear her and the silver man smiled.

"You sound really confident." Despite her tone, Creed was still nervous and eyed the other table wearily.

The tall blonde nodded. "All these witnesses were just icing on the cake. The cake is Train."

Creed smiled, but heard his cat shuffle a little at that. He turned to his love and frowned at the stressed and pained look in his eyes.

"Yeah… That's not a lot of pressure." He leaned his elbow on the table and rubbed his temple. His leg started shaking again and Creed stopped it with his hand.

"Train, once they see how charming and truthful you are, it's in the bag." He moved his hand from his partner's knee to his cheek and smiled warmly. "Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

Train smiled and nodded his head. He felt the pain in his skull subside and his leg stopped shaking. The cat wasn't able to help himself and he leaned forward to kiss his husband quickly. This wasn't for show, he genuinely wanted to feel Creed's lips against his own to fully relax himself. The silver man smiled and held Train's hand and massaged his knee again as they both turned their attention back to the stand.

Sephiria had called Baldor next. This questioning went much faster than they thought it would. Baldor was ready with his answers and owned up to everything he had ever done to them. He admitted to being a bully and said that moment when Creed dumped the trash can on him, he deserved it. He even said looking back, he was surprised Creed hadn't snapped sooner. Baldor said if he had treated anyone else the way he treated them, they would have done something worse a lot soon.

"Look, it was just a trash can. I literally held the kid, by his throat, against a wall on several occasions and called him a freak." Baldor was getting annoyed with Mako's questions. He felt like Sephiria had asked him all the same stuff, but he was trying to make it sound worse than it was.

"But he did that after you drew a simple picture." Mako pushed, again trying to blow it out of proportion.

Baldor shook his head in disagreement. "No. It wasn't 'just a picture'. It was the final straw on the camel's back. I've known Creed since elementary school and the poor kid had no friends. It was very clear he had strong feelings for Train and Train and his friends were all that he had. What I did was unacceptable and uncalled for. I had it coming."

Mako furrowed his brow at the man. "Mr. Fanghini, could you explain to us why you decided to be a witness for the prosecution?"

Baldor glared at him a little. He knew what Mako wanted him to say, but he chose not to. "Because I wanted to make up all the abuse I put them through. I wanted to apologize."

"Why?" Mako asked quickly as he looked at him. Baldor didn't answer that question, so Mako pushed harder. "Is it true that you are part of Alcoholics Anonymous?"

The large man growled quietly. "Yes…"

"And don't they require you to apologize to anyone you had done wrong in the past?"

"Yes…" He decided not to look at the lawyer anymore.

Mako smirked. "When did your problem begin?"

Baldor sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Senior year of high school…"

Both Train and Creed gaped at that statement. They had no idea he had a problem in high school. That changed how they viewed him and explained a lot of his erractive behaviors.

"So, it's safe to say you are only doing this to apologize because you have to as part of your program?" Mako paced in front of him as he spoke.

"No. They want you to say sorry. Not stand as a character witness for past victims."

Mako nodded. "Yes, but that's how **you** want to apologize, correct?" He smiled again when Baldor nodded and walked away. "No further questions…"

Sephiria sighed and called Micah to the stand. When Micah was sworn in he sat down and smiled at Sephiria. The first thing they ran through were his credentials. They needed to establish he was a credible doctor and a credible witness if his testimony was going to mean anything. Once that was done and Sephiria was satisfied they had proven his worth, she began her questioning.

"Mr. Torres, how would you describe Mr. Heartnet's relationship with Mr. Diskence?" Sephiria paced in front of him.

"Very loving. I haven't seen a relationship so strong in many, many years." He smiled at the men sitting behind the bench. He had gotten a chance to know Creed a little bit in the last few days as well, and in those few days, he could see how much he loved and cared about Train.

Sephiria nodded. "I know you don't know Officer Edo, but how would you describe Mr. Heartnet's relationship with him?"

"Romantic relationship? Non-existence. Officer Edo is a predator to Train. He never showed any signs of any positive feeling or interests in Officer Edo." He spoke firmly and surely. While he may not have known the golden man for long, he could easily tell Train did not want anything to do with him.

"As for any other kind of relationship such as co-workers, which is all they ever were, it was extremely toxic. Train mentioned multiple times how Officer Edo called him several different highly offensive words. The same goes for Officer Clark. On top of all that, there was the attack at the station."

Sephiria nodded and stopped pacing so she could gesture for him to continue. Mako gave Train a caring look, then continued.

"That day at the station haunts Train. He saw it as an extremely violent and unwanted attack. It was a traumatizing moment that we are working on healing together." He smiled at Train one more time and Train did his best to return the gesture, but it was hard as the memories started to resurface.

Creed felt his cat squeeze his hand as a signal that he was getting stressed so the silver man wrapped his arm around Train's and leaned into him a little. This appeared to help since he could feel his love sigh and lean into him a little as well.

"So, that's how you would describe the encounter? An attack?" Sephiria wanted him to say those words exactly.

"Yes. Absolutely. Officer Edo attacked Train. It was not the beginning of a relationship. Train did not even know the man had any interest in him, sexual or romantic, before that moment. In fact, he believed the opposite to be true. After all his comments against same sex relationships, Train was positive Officer Edo was homophobic."

The lawyer nodded at him, then paced the room again. "Can you please describe what you believe Mr. Heartnet's mental state is?"

"While he still has short term memory issues, that is getting better each day. He also tends to remember things that are important to him, but small details are harder."

Sephiria raised an eyebrow. "Could you please elaborate?"

Micah nodded. "If you ask him what he had for breakfast, he probably won't remember. However, if you asked him what Mr. Diskence said to him when they woke up this morning, Train would be able to recite every word."

Creed smiled when he said this, knowing that it meant Train saw everything he said as important. Sephiria confirmed that with the therapist which was nice to hear, but wasn't necessary for the silver man. He looked at his cat out of the corner of his eye and noticed that he was smiling at Micah's statement as well. It was good seeing a professional not only understand how much they meant to each other, but also testify it to be true under oath.

Once Sephiria was done questioning him about Train and Creed's relationship, she moved on to the cat's next set of psychological issues. "What was your diagnosis of Mr. Heartnet?"

"Due to the two back to back near death experiences, Train has PTSD." He was very blunt with his statement.

" **Two** near death experiences?" Sephiria asked this question because she wanted him to explain what they both were.

Micah nodded. "Yes. The night of the shooting and the attack at the police station."

"Why would you say the attack at the police station was a near death experience?" Sephiria was no longer pacing. She stood in front of the therapist and waited for his response.

"While Train may not have actually died on sight like he did when he was shot, he **felt** like he wasn't going to make it out alive. Officer Edo had suffocated him with his hand and with a gag. Train was also hit several times to the point of bleeding and was left with several bruises in very sensitive areas."

He looked at Train to see how his patient was doing and noticed he was leaning into Creed, but was overall okay. Micah was glad he had the support of his husband. Their first session did not go very well considering it triggered a nightmare, but when he knew Creed was near, he did much better since he was able to seek comfort in his partner once their conversation was over.

Sephiria looked at Train quickly to check on him as well before continuing her questioning. "Could you describe how your first session with Mr. Hearntnet went?"

"I came in while the Goto family was visiting him. He seemed to be doing okay with them there, but I could tell he was upset about something. It turned out that Mr. Diskence was home and he missed him." He smiled at the memory, seeing that it was actually kind of sweet.

The lawyer smiled as well. "How long had Mr. Diskence been gone at that point?"

Micah thought about it, then responded. "Train said it had been about three or four hours."

"And he missed Mr. Diskence after just that short amount of time?"

The therapist nodded. "Yes."

"Did you find that odd? Like, maybe he was too attached or too dependent on Mr. Diskence?" Sephiria wanted to get a jump on this question before the defense could twist the situation.

"Not at all. Train had been in a coma for three and half weeks and was able to hear everything around him. He described how hard it was hearing his partner's voice, but not being able to talk to him. His want to be near Mr. Diskence came from being apart from him for so long and also wanting to be there to comfort his husband. He knew how much pressure Mr. Diskence was facing and it hurt him not being able to help. Train also very much wanted the man's comfort in return since he had just been through a very traumatic experience."

"So, Mr. Heartnet wanted to be the comfort for Mr. Diskence as well as receive comfort from him?

"Yes. He described his time in the coma as being buried alive in a coffin." He frowned at Train, but noticed he was still doing okay with the support Creed. "He said his coma dreams were strange, but some were good and others were not. The good ones always included Mr. Diskence."

This was a good segway for Sephiria, so she brought up the dream. "To bring us back a little bit, you mentioned his PTSD had caused a panic attack which caused a nightmare that night you first met?"

"That is my belief, yes." He crossed his legs as he spoke. "We went over a lot that night. Train was showing signs of distress, so we stopped so he could rest. Unfortunately, I think I might have pushed a little too hard and triggered a panic attack while he slept."

Sephiria stood in front of the jury as she spoke, but she was still facing Micah. "I know you're not a medical expert, but do you think it's possible that nightmare could cause a seizure?"

"Objection." Mako stood. "The doctor already addressed this issue. I don't see the relevance in bringing it up again."

"I agree, Ms. Arks. Please ask another question." The judge was taking notes, but she stopped to look at Sephiria when she spoke.

The tall blonde sighed, but moved on. "Did Mr. Heartner describe the dream to you?"

"Yes." Micah's response was quick.

"You don't have to go into great detail, but could you give us a general idea what the dream was about?"

The therapist looked at Train who smiled to let him know he was okay. "It was very similar to the situation at the police station. However, this time he was restrained by chains and Mr. Diskence was there. Except…" He glanced at Train one more time, then continued. "Mr. Diskence was… dead. Officer Clark and Officer Edo were in his nightmare as well and there was a gun involved."

Sephiria gave her clients a quick glance, then looked back at Micah. "Did he say what the men were doing?"

"Yes, but that might be better to be heard from Train." He didn't want to tell the whole story. That was up to Train.

"I understand. Thank you for sharing what you know. I have one more question, if you don't mind?"

Micah brushed her words aside. "That's why I'm here."

She stepped towards the therapist and stopped when she was in front of him. "What do you think would have happened if Mr. Diskence was there?"

Micah pondered that for a minute, but then responded with confidence. "I don't think Mr. Diskence would have been able to prevent the dream, but he might have been able to prevent the seizure."

"What do you mean?" Sephiria looked at him curiously, but she already knew what the answer was.

"As the doctor stated, the seizure happened **after** he woke up from the dream and panicked. I believe if he woke up and Mr. Diskence was there, his presence might have been able to calm him down and prevent the seizure from happening."

"How certain are you of that?" Again, Sephiria was trying to ask the defense's questions so they would have less to go on.

"While it is impossible to be one-hundred percent sure of something that did not happen, based on the conversations I've had with Train and seeing how much he loves his husband and how much of a support he is to Train, it would be a safe bet to make."

Sephiria nodded and smiled at the man. "Thank you very much. I have no further questions."

Micah did not move from his seat. He knew Mako was going to ask questions. He was a key witness, so he figured he may as well settle in.

"Mr. Torres, how many patients have you treated who have been in abusive relationships?" Mako wanted to get straight to the point. This trial had not been going well for him, and he wanted to try and get any kind of leg up on the persecution.

"Several. I cannot give you an exact number without my records in front of me. But Train has never shown any signs of being in an abusive relationship with Mr. Diskence." Micah made sure to keep eye contact with the man.

Mako glared at the man a little as he answered a question he did not ask. He actually wanted to avoid asking if he thought Creed was abusive since he knew the answer would only hurt his case. Seemed like the therapist knew this and wanted to ruin his plans.

"Thank you for that **extra** bit of information, my question is different. Could you please list the symptoms for stockholm syndrome?"

Micah sighed, realizing what he was trying to do. "Post traumatic stress, nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, and difficulty trusting others."

"Would you say those are all symptoms Mr. Heartnet has exhibited?" Mako raised an eyebrow at the man, knowing what he was going to say before he said it.

The therapist hesitated, but answered nonetheless. "Yes. That doesn't mean Train has Stockholm syndrome. People can exhibit symptoms that can qualify them for many different disorders."

"Then how were you able to determine Mr. Heartnet only has PTSD and nothing more?" Mako paced the room.

"Because I'm a professional and I've been doing this for many, many years." Despite himself he felt a little frustrated and it came out as he spoke.

Mako nodded. "Yes, but you are human, and humans make mistakes. And as you stated, you have been doing this for many years, I'm sure you've made mistakes with patients before, right?"

Micah eyed him uneasily. "Yes. I'm not perfect."

"And no one expects you to be." He stopped and stood in front of the jury. "Remind me, how long have you known Mr. Heartnet?"

"About four days…" Micah was hesitant to answer, but he knew he had to.

"And you are sure of your diagnosis after just four days?" Mako pushed the man and smirked as he did so.

"Yes. I'm confident."

"I see…" Mako turned to face the man, but still stood in front of the jury. "Could you please explain more about what Stockholm syndrome is?"

Micah sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which a hostage, or hostages, develop a psychological alliance with their captors during captivity. They form emotional bonds with their captors during their time together."

"And you're saying that doesn't sound like something Mr. Heartnet could have?"

"No, not all. Train was never held against his will by Mr. Diskence. The bonds victims form with their captors are usually considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured. Train has never been in danger with Mr. Diskence." He made sure to finish his definition of Stockholm syndrome so he could make his point that Train did not have it.

Mako walked towards him. "But you've only known Train for four days. How do you know what their relationship was like before all this? Or what his mental state was before those four days? Do you have records of Mr. Heartnet's previous mental conditions?"

Micah glared at him a little, but made sure to keep his voice calm and professional. "Based off their interactions and Train's regard for Mr. Diskence. The only records I have for Mr. Heartnet were from his childhood when his parents died. He was not diagnosed with anything at the time."

"But he was a young child and only had one session with a therapist to see if he was fit for trial, correct?"

Micah nodded his head, but decided not to fight him on this.

"That's even less time than you've had with him. Makes sense they couldn't come to any rash conclusions." Mako continued trying to make his point, ignoring the irritated man on the stand.. "Isn't part of Stockholm syndrome the victims hold their captors in high regard? Just as you stated Mr. Heartnet holds Mr. Diskence?"

Micah did not answer his question verbally, but he nodded.

Mako continued. "And don't they also fail to cooperate with police or other authorities when it comes to holding their perpetrators accountable?"

Again, no verbal response, but the therapist nodded his head.

"They also make little or no attempt to escape, is that true?"

When Train saw Micah nod his head again he wanted to stand up and yell at the lawyer. He even felt himself moving from the chair a little, but was kept put by Creed's hand. His husband looked at him sadly and shook his head.

"If you react negatively you're only going to prove his point. Stay calm, Love. You'll have your chance up there."

Creed's whispered words made sense to him and he nodded and took a deep breath. Train grabbed his partner's hand for strength and kept his eyes on him for a second longer before turning back to his therapist on the stand.

"And you're saying after only spending four days with Mr. Heartnet, you were able to decide what the nature of their relationship is and that the prosecution's client **only** has PTSD?"

Micah leaned back in his chair. "If Train was experiencing some kind of stress due to being held captive by Mr. Diskence, it would have shown earlier. It's really hard to believe all his friends would have never picked up on the toxic relationship."

"Well, if you heard their testimony, you would hear there were some details about their relationship and Mr. Heartnet's life that they did not know about." He paced the room again, putting his hands behind his back. "Did you know that Mr. Diskence paid for Mr. Heartnet's rent when they were in high school?"

Micah blinked. "No, I did not. But I fail to see how that is pertinent to this situation."

"Because it is the defense's belief that was when the abuse began. Mr. Diskence may have never locked him away, but he held him hostage financially." Mako looked at the therapist to see his reaction to the accusation.

"That doesn't sound like something Train would have accepted." Micah was able to gather the cat could be quite stubborn just from their short time together.

"You're right, it doesn't. However, people will accept help from strange places when they are desperate."

Micah did not respond to that statement seeing as it would not have been productive to do so.

Mako noticed he wasn't going to respond to that, so he continued. "Mr. Diskence also stalked him for several years and wormed his way into being part of his life on every level. He even went so far as to threaten anyone who tried to get close to Mr. Heartnet which isolated him from his friends. This abuse continued until Mr. Heartnet had no choice but to accept Mr. Diskence's affection or face homelessness and loneliness."

"I'm sorry, but are you a licensed therapist? Did you know them before all this?" Micah decided to use his logic against him. "That is a **wild** accusation to make when I'm pretty certain you've never had a conversation with either of them outside this courtroom. You also have something to gain by dismantling their relationship whereas the witnesses who have testified gain nothing by helping Train stay hostage as you so firmly believe he is."

The courtroom was quiet at that. Micah had made an excellent point and they were looking to Mako to refute it. The lawyer stared at him for a minute, then smiled.

"Or maybe Officer Edo is the first one to take a stand at the situation and I simply want to help a poor, tortured man."

Micah didn't like how he was trying to gain sympathy from the jury and hoped they were able to see right through his fake charm. However, he kept his mouth shut, knowing his point was made and it was up to the jury to make the call.

"Let's backtrack a little to Mr. Heartnet's memory. You say it has gotten better?"

"Yes." The therapist made sure his answer was short so he didn't have more to work with.

"But, again, you've only known him for four days. Has it really improved that much in four days?"

"Yes. He is remembering conversations he's had with doctors and nurses much easier now." His eyes never left the lawyer when he answered his questions.

"But he remembers everything Mr. Diskence does or says?" Mako turned his back to him and pointed at the silver man sitting at the prosecution's table.

"Yes. His memory seems to be a steel trap when it comes to his husband." He smiled, knowing it was absolutely true.

Mako nodded. "Well, I mean, couldn't that possibly be due to fear? Maybe he's so worried about what Mr. Diskence will do if he forgets something that he said or did?"

Micah rolled his eyes. "This is all just a crazy conspiracy theory."

"Does the name Jason Bow ring a bell to you? What about Jessica Anderson? Or Mary Stuart?"

Micah nodded grimly. "Yes… They are all cases of extreme Stockholm syndrome."

"Oh, great! Then you can tell their stories to the court?"

"Objection." Sephiria stood. "What does this have to do with the case?"

"You're honor, we're trying to show how extreme Stockholm syndrome can get and therefore this isn't just a conspiracy theory."

The judge nodded. "Overruled. Answer the question, Mr. Torres."

Micah took a deep breath. "Jason Bow was eleven when he was intentionally hit by a car. The driver took the boy hostage and kept him there until he was a teenager."

Mako smiled. "And what happened when he was found?"

Another deep breath. "The boy said he had gone freely shopping with his captor, had a girlfriend, and generally led a normal life. When asked why he didn't try to escape, Jason said he was threatened with violence multiple times by his abductor which created a psychological barrier."

The lawyer nodded. "Sounds like that matches to Mr. Heartnet's story. What Jessica Anderson?"

"She was taken captive from her father's house and held for ransom for twenty-nine hours. When they were captured, Jessica said she had been very well cared for and her abductors even bought her flowers and other gifts." Micah didn't want to, but knew that he had to tell the story.

"Yes, and she had extreme guilt and many breakdowns when she had to testify against them. She's actually still friends with them to this day. Does that sound like a wild conspiracy theory to you, Mr. Torres?"

He didn't answer because he knew what the lawyer was trying to accomplish and he was doing it well enough on his own. Mako didn't need the extra help.

"Last one, Mr. Torres. Mary Stuart. What was her story?"

Micah rubbed his forehead, but answered the question. "She was taken from her bedroom by a man who walked her into the woods until they reached a campsite where his wife was waiting for them. The man did a rudimentary wedding ceremony with the young girl and sexually assaulted her on a daily basis." He did not want to go into detail what that assault entaled, but he didn't think it was necessary.

Mako nodded. "And what would happen if she tried to disobey?"

Micah glared at him again. "She would be met with violence."

Another nod. "And she eventually became a model prisoner and even accompanied them to town to pick up supplies. She was even seen by a police officer during those visits, but she did not say who she was or try to get help. Is that true?"

"Yes…"

Mako paced the room again. "That story involved a marriage as well. Also similar to Mr. Heartnet's situation."

Train was about ready to explode, but kept his cool when he reminded himself of what Creed said. He leaned into his husband, hoping that feeling him against his body would help calm him down. Creed wrapped an arm around his waist and held him close.

"You'll have your chance, Love. Stay strong." Creed whispered in his ear and his voice helped soothe the angry cat.

"None of those situations included the manipulation of all of the victims' friends and family. Train has kept **constant** contact with his friends and they are **heavily** involved in their relationship and their lives. It would be **impossible** for Mr. Diskence to convince so many people to go along with the story."

Mako looked at him. "Mr. Diskence did not convince them. Mr. Heartnet did. You're right, it would not work if Mr. Diskence was the one telling them all this. That's why he needed to get Mr. Heartnet to properly convince his friends that he was happy."

"That's elaborate…" Micah said, refusing to give in to the man's theory.

"Yes, it is. But we've already established how obsessed Mr. Diskence is and how extreme Stockholm syndrome can get." Mako walked away when he said this and stood in front of the jury. However, he made sure to look at Creed quickly and smile.

Train had to restrain a growl and looked at his partner. Creed looked upset, but in very much control of his emotions. He didn't know how his husband did it. They were saying such awful lies about him, but the silver man barely batted an eye.

_That's right, he_ _ **has**_ _to remain calm. If he reacts negatively, they're going to jump on him in an instant._

The cat suddenly felt guilty. This whole time he was worried about his own mental state, but Creed must have been going through a lot as well. He had been so respectful and loving towards Train's feelings and boundaries his whole life. Creed waited years for Train to even notice him let alone love him. To have all those years of adoration and reverence brought to a simple obsession and Stockholm syndrome must have hurt beyond belief.

_Not to mention how insecure he has been about our relationship being real. This must be nearly impossible for him to endure._

Train brought his husband's hands to his lips and kissed them gently. Creed looked at him suddenly and Train was able to see the silver man was holding back tears. The cat decided it was his turn to whisper words of comfort.

"It's not true, Creed. I love you. You're not forcing me to feel that." Train rubbed his knee for emphasis.

Creed let a tear fall, but smiled happily. "Thank you, Train…"

"And to top it all off, Mr. Heartnet's memory problems complicated everything. No one was there when he woke up except for Mr. Diskence and we have no idea what he said to him during those few minutes. There could be a key phrase he created that triggers Mr. Heartnet and reminds him that he is captive in this sick relationship. Something that Mr. Diskence drilled into his subconscious before this all happened."

"Again, that's very elab-" Micah was cut off as Mako finished his statement.

"No one can say for sure and will never be able to say. None of us were there. Only Mr. Heartnet knows the truth, and this is his moment to tell it since Mr. Diskence never will."

Micah wanted to say more, but he knew he would just be interrupted again. Mako looked at him and thought about questioning him on the nightmare, but he figured he'd leave that for when Train took the stand.

"No further questions, your honor."

Train glared at the defense lawyer as he took his seat next to Edo and Clark. The one good thing about hating that lawyer so much was it made the cat forget about his anxiety or stress. Again, he wanted to stand up and yell at the man that the truth will come out when he's on the stand, but he stopped himself. As Creed said, acting out in anger would only give credibility to Mako's story and hurt their case. The defense lawyer had created a scenario in which defending his partner could be used as proof to his non-existent disorder.

_I also know he's going to try and twist my story as well. I just need to be as convincing as possible._

He looked at his partner who was doing his best to keep it together, but the golden man knew he was having a hard time. Train really wanted to fast forward until it was his turn to take the stand so he could openly declare his love for Creed under oath, hoping that would cement in his husband's head that everything the defense was saying wasn't true. It was upsetting his word wasn't enough for the silver man, but he understood why. After so many years of pining for Train's love and finally having it, Creed probably felt like it was all a huge prank or there was some kind of catch. It was like the law student was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, and Train was going to do his best to make sure he knew that was never going to happen.

Train wiped one of Creed's tears away with his thumb and smiled at the man. He wanted to get as many opportunities as he could to study his partner's face since Sephiria made it clear to him once he was on the stand he couldn't look at Creed at all. If he did, the defense would jump on it and say he was looking to his captor for answers. Because of this, the cat wanted to memorize the silver man's features so he could keep his face in mind when things got dicey while he was on the stand.

_And they are indeed going to get dicey once I'm up there…_

Creed smiled at him passionately and Train made sure to sketch the image in his head. He caressed his partner's cheek one last time before looking at Sephiria as she called her next witness.

Neither Train nor Ceed recognised the woman that took the stand. She was older than them both and had an air of authority about her. The cat knew the aura surrounding her was that of a police officer. However, he had never seen her before, so he wasn't sure why she was there. The couple shared a confused glance as the woman was sworn in, not sure what was going to happen.

Sephiria approached the woman. "Could you please state your name for the court?"

"Aimi Hata." The woman stood tall in her chair and looked the lawyer in the eyes.

"Could you tell us a little about yourself?" Sephiria held her hands behind her back and smiled at the woman.

"I am an ex-police officer. I used to work in the same precinct where both the defense and presecution's clients are currently employed."

Sephiria nodded. "What do you do now?"

"I'm in real estate now." She crossed her legs. While she came off as a powerful figure, there was a hint of unease hidden in her eyes.

"Are you happy in your new career?" It seemed like Sephiria was trying to create a good rapport with her and hopefully relax the ex-cop.

"Yes. It's much better than where I was." She glanced at Edo, then looked away quickly.

Sephiria looked at her curiously. "Would you mind explaining?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I was sexually assaulted by Officer Edo."

There were mumbles throughout the courtroom and Train felt his heart stop. It was almost as if the floor was about to give out under him, but he was unable to fall through. He was floating in a sea of anxiety as he felt his blood begin to pulse again, much faster than it was before.

Creed, feeling his cat's grip tighten on him, rubbed his thumb against the back of Train's hand. He kept doing it until his beloved calmed down, but made sure he was still focused on the woman behind the stand.

"Objection, your honor. What does this have to do with the case at hand?" Mako stood and pointed to the woman who refused to look in his direction.

"I thought that was clear after what Ms. Hata just said. Officer Edo has had more accusations made against him than just my client. She and others are here to establish a partner of abuse the officer has exhibited." Sephiria looked at the judge when she spoke.

The judge eyed her wearily, but nodded. "Overruled. Proceed, Ms. Arks."

The tall blonde smiled and eyed Mako for a quick second before turning back to the woman behind the stand. Sephiria asked her to tell her story, and while it was difficult, she was able to get through it. The situation was similar to Train's, but not nearly as violent. After the attack happened, she explained how she tried to press charges, but nothing ever came of it. She had no witnesses and, unlike with Train, there was no video evidence either. Because Edo was such a respected officer and she was the first to ever file a complaint about him, her case never even saw the inside of a courtroom.

"And how long ago did this happen?" Sephiria's voice was calm and kind as she leaned on the stand to hand the woman a tissue.

She denied the tissue, refusing to shed a tear in front of her attacker. "This was about ten years ago. I had just joined the force and Officer Edo had already created a name for himself. No one believed me."

Sephiria nodded. "Thank you for telling your story. No further questions."

Mako jumped up quickly and began asking her questions that would hopefully make her seem unreliable or insincere. However, as hard as he tried, there was nothing in her story he could poke holes in. She had already established she did file a complaint and even tried to get it to court and he couldn't find a way that it was her fault Edo was never charged.

As the lawyer examined her, Train felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, expecting to see Sven or Eve, but noticed it was a man he did not recognize. This man was also older than him, but not as much older as the woman behind the stand was. Train put him in his late twenties, while the woman currently being examined was probably nearing forty.

He smiled at Train's confused look. "In case I don't get a chance, I just wanted to say thank you for speaking up."

Train simply stared at him, unsure of what to say. Seeing the cat wasn't going to respond, the man continued. "Ms. Arks contacted all of us to testify against Edo. We've all been victims of his violence…"

It started to occur to Train what he was talking about. The golden man knew Edo had sexual assault allegation made against him in the past that never went anywhere, but he never thought he would ever meet any of those people. Train smiled and patted the man's hand.

"Of course. We can't let him get away with this." He spoke quietly, but made sure he was heard.

Creed's ears perked at the conversation and simply glanced at the man behind them. He wanted to know what was going on with Aimi and with his love, so he did his best to listen to both.

"No, I don't think you understand how much it means to **me** …" He paused and looked over at another woman who had been glancing at them as well. "You're the only other **man** that he attacked… I thought I was alone. You're giving me the strength to speak up again." He squeezed Train's shoulder and held back a sob. "From the bottom of my heart… Thank you."

Train smiled when he said this and looked at the woman who was glancing at them. She gave the cat a kind, but frightened smile and Train realized she was another victim. He looked between the two of them and felt a certain kind of joy overcome his heart. This feeling gave him more strength and determination. Now he **knew** he could face the man head on. Any doubts, anxiety, or insecurity he had before were gone.

_This isn't just about me and Creed anymore. This is for anyone else who was victim to that bastard's sick desires._

The golden man turned around when his new friend leaned back in his chair. Train smirked when he saw Mako dismissing her from the stand in frustration. Sephiria was already up and calling the next witness who was the woman Train had seen looking at him. After she was sworn in, her eyes scanned Train briefly and nodded. Although the gesture was quick, Train knew what it meant. Now that he knew how he was connected to these people, he felt safer. As if he had someone else to share his pain in.

Yes, he knew he had Creed as well. His husband had experienced the same traumatic encounter, but now they weren't alone. They now both had other people who had been through it as well. Train wasn't sure why, but that thought was comforting and when Creed clenched his fingers assuredly, he knew his partner felt the same way.

This woman's name was Emma, and she was just a little bit older than him. Probably only by a few years. However, she had no affiliation with the police department. In fact, her attack had happened in the city when Edo had attempted to arrest her.

Again, while the officer's actions were violent, more violent than they were on Aimi, the assault did not reach the level of Train's. The biggest difference seemed to be Edo's determination to get what he wanted from Train, and his brutality had not reached its peak when he went after the women. Emma's attack happened after Aimi's, and it seemed to point to a pattern of the man's behavior growing more violent.

Once more, Mako tried to tear this witness's testimony apart. It was a little easier this time since it had happened when she was being arrested. Emma made sure to point out he stopped her while she was simply walking home from work late at night.

Mako pushed her to say what she was stopped for, but she insisted she didn't remember. What she remembered was it not being a big deal and it even sounded like she had repressed a bit of the memory of that night. This did not bode well for the poor woman, but her story about the actual attack was so specific, it was hard to believe she made that up. At the end, she wasn't taken into the station. Edo left after she punched him in the face and ran off. He made no attempts to follow her and she did not press charges.

"Why didn't you press charges?" Mako asked accusingly.

"Because I was scared and he's a cop. I was only twenty at the time and had two kids at home. I just wanted to go home to them and forget the whole thing ever happened." Her voice choked as she spoke and she furiously clutched some tissues in her hand.

Mako stared at her intensely. "How old were your kids at the time?"

She paused, then answered the question. "My son was two and my daughter was three."

"So you were seventeen when you had your first child?" Mako's voice was very judgemental, which made Sephiria stand up.

"Objection. The witness' private life is not on trial here." She glared at Mako who ignored her.

The judge nodded. "I'm inclined to agree with Ms. Arks. Keep it moving, Mr. Mako."

He growled quietly to himself so no one else would hear and straightened his tie. Mako only kept the woman there for a few more minutes before he dismissed her. She was easiest to make appear unreliable due to her early pregnancies and minor criminal record. While Edo did not arrest her that night, she had been charged with petty theft in the past. It didn't matter that her situation was similar to Dante's in that she was just a single mom trying to feed her kids. Emma also didn't have the history of being a police officer, and Mako made sure to mention she had always worked dead end jobs and had no real career prospect due to her poor life choices.

Train's heart went out to the woman. While he could sympathize with her trying to make ends meet, he couldn't imagine what it was like trying to get through high school with two kids you were raising on your own. It made sense she dropped out and worked as many part time jobs as she could.

_Then Edo saw her weakness and took advantage of it…_

His rage boiled, but now he was able to channel it towards his determination to take the officer down. Train even looked over at the older man who felt his golden eyes on him and stared back. The cat gave him the same glare he did the night of the shooting and the attack in the locker room and enjoyed seeing Edo squirm and look away. He smirked, knowing he had regained control. It was easier fighting for someone else than himself. And now he knew he wasn't fighting just for Creed, but for all these other people as well. He knew nothing would keep him down.

Next to testify was the man Train had spoken to just moments ago. He looked nervous as he walked to the stand and was sworn in. He glanced at Edo every so often which only seemed to scare him more. Train tried to lock eyes with him, praying that the man would see him and feel comforted. Finally, he met Train's gaze and smiled. The cat nodded at him and watched as he took a deep breath and looked at Sephiria.

His name was William Garcia. His story was interesting because it turned out, he and Edo were actually friends at one point. William was never a part of the police force. However, he was a social worker, so he had many different interactions with the police. This was how he built a friendship with Edo.

At some point, the officer had confided in him that he felt an attraction to men and since William was very open about his sexuality, Edo felt comfortable telling him. At the time, William was flattered he felt relaxed enough around him to tell him such a private detail in his life. However, that quickly changed when the officer attacked him a few days after the confession. This attack was far more similar to Train's, but still not quite at the level of violence the cat had experienced.

No gag was used and they were at Mako's house so it was not in a public location. What stuck out to Train the most is what Edo had said to William. It was eerily similar to what the officer had said to him and it gave him chills to remember it.

"Could you please tell the court what Officer Edo said during the attack?" Sephiria's voice had been calm and kind as she spoke to all these victims.

William sighed and made sure he kept his eyes on the tall blonde. "He said I **belonged** to him after that. As if I was his property or I owed him something. It was like because I'm attracted to men, that meant I **had** to be with them."

The woman nodded. "And how did you handle that?"

"To be honest, I didn't. He left me several scary messages after the attack, so I blocked his number. Then, he started stopping by my house. I finally decided to move so he would leave me alone." William glanced at Edo quickly, then looked down at his own hands.

"Did you go to the police?" Again, Sephiria's voice was calm.

He nodded. "Yes. They didn't believe me because he **is** the police. I even tried showing them the messages he sent me and they didn't care. They said I was misinterpreting his texts and voicemails because they all believed he was only into women."

Sephiria gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze and stepped away. "No further questions, your honor."

Once more, Mako stood quickly and tried to take his story apart. He used the same tactic he did with Train by saying William and Edo were in a relationship. William denied it over and over again and stated they had only ever been friends. He said many times he never had any romantic or sexual feelings for the officer, but Mako insisted that he did.

William sighed. "My sexual orientation doesn't mean I'm attracted to every man I meet. It also doesn't mean I **owe it** to every man who shares my tastes or is attracted to me to be with them. I didn't owe **anything** to Officer Edo."

Train was really proud of how the man was handling himself. He had several years to wrap his mind around what happened and it looked like he had built up a confidence he refused to let Mako take down.

Despite William's bravery, Mako was determined to do his best to break him apart. "To me, it sounds like the timing of Officer Edo's supposed attack on you synced up with around the time Mr. Heartnet joined the force."

William blinked. He wasn't aware of how closely his and Train's attacks were to each other. "I don't see how that's relevant to what happened to me."

"Oh, I think it is, Mr. Garcia. I think Officer Edo tried to end his relationship with you after he met and fell in love with Mr. Heartnet, and you didn't take it well."

The man gawked at him "Excuse me?!"

Mako frowned deeply. "Officer Edo told me he was in a relationship with another man before he met Mr. Heartnet, but he said it did not end well and you had accused him of sexual assault."

"That's ridiculous! There was **never** any consenting relationship between us!" He slammed his fist on the stand when he spoke to stress his point.

Mako ignored him and continued his demented story. "When Officer Edo seized contact with you, it was so he could be with Mr. Heartnet instead. You didn't like that so you went to the police station to file a false report."

" **I** seized contact with **him**! And again, there was **no** sexual or romantic relationship between us." He stopped to glare at the man, then a thought occurred to him. "There are now **two** men who deny having any relationship with him that he **insists** happened. Doesn't that qualify as a pattern of lies?"

Mako shrugged. "I think the only pattern it shows is Officer Edo makes poor choices in his relationships. While you turned out to be a jealous ex, Mr. Heartnet is in the unique and unfortunate situation of being in a separate abusive relationship." He then went to his desk to retrieve pictures. "Mr. Garcia, could you explain these pictures to me?"

William took the pictures with a shaky hand. "Yes, it's me and Edo hanging out together."

"But you said you were not in a relationship?" Mako handed copies of the pictures to the jury as well.

William shook his head. "We **weren't**! These are **not** romantic pictures! We were **friends**. Friends take pictures together."

Mako turned to face him. "There are some with Edo's arm around you. Would you describe that as a friendly picture?"

William cocked an eyebrow and flipped through the pictures to find the ones he meant. He then rolled his eyes and slammed the pictures down. "Yes, that is a friendly picture because we were **friends**. Can friends not put their arms around each other? Or is it because I'm gay that I can't embrace another many without it being something more than friendship?"

Mako chuckled and brushed his words away. "No, not at all, Mr. Garcia. But the way Officer Edo is looking at you shows there was something more."

William squinted at the picture and rubbed his eyes. "I can't control the way another man looks at me…"

The lawyer took the pictures back then turned to Sephiria. "You have the pictures, correct?"

She glowered at the man, but nodded her head. She showed the pictures to Train and Creed and the two men agreed that there was nothing more than friendship in these pictures. After all the intimate pictures they had taken, they knew what it looked like when a couple in love posed together.

Mako only asked William a few more questions before he dismissed him. The man stormed across the room and took his seat again hotly. Train turned to try and relax the man, but before he could, Sephiria stood and called her last witness.

"Your honor, I'd like to call Train Heartnet to the stand."

The cat looked at the woman whose fierce eyes were staring forward. He stood then looked at Creed one more time, knowing this was the last time he could look at him until his testimony was over. The silver man smiled warmly at him and the cat felt himself smiling back. He rubbed Creed's cheek with his thumb, taking these last few seconds to burn his partner's eyes into his skull then walked away quickly.

As he was sworn in, he glared at Edo and Clark. All the stress and anxiety he felt before was gone. His sights were set on kill and the officers were going to be **his** victims this time. Every negative feeling in his body was replaced with courage, determination, and most of all love. He wasn't going to let them get away with what they did to him or what Edo did to the others. When the bailiff stepped away, Train sat and smiled brightly at Sephiria.

"So, you're finally here, Mr. Heartnet." Sephiria smiled back at him, but stayed at the table and next to Creed.

The cat nodded. "Yup, I made it! I heard it's been quite a party and I didn't want to miss it. I also certainly didn't want everyone else to miss out on the main event."

The jury laughed and Sephiria smiled. Creed was right, the golden man was very charming, so it was going to be pretty easy for him to win them over. Afterall, Train had left a long string of admirers behind, it made sense people felt drawn to him.

"Before we start, I have to ask. How are you feeling?"

Train locked eyes with her, knowing he had to occupy his vision with something other than Creed the whole time. "Much better after seeing the strength of these other victims."

Sephiria nodded. "They were quite brave, weren't they?"

"Yeah, it's not easy to talk about something so terrible and I hope everyone heard the sincerity in their testimonies. However…" He looked at Edo and narrowed his eyes. "I'm here to close the lid on this whole fiasco."

The woman smirked at the determination in her clients eyes. She was glad to see he was back to normal. "Well then, let's begin."

Sephiria went through the whole night of the shooting with Train first. He went through it step by step and insisted that Creed was never there. When asked why he was calling Creed's name if he wasn't there, Train elaborated.

"I was seeing my life flash before my eyes. That tends to happen when you're shot four times, ya know?" He said the statement matter-of-factly, but his tone of voice was still playful which made a few people in the jury laugh again. They stopped quickly realizing it was probably not appropriate.

Sephiria, however, enjoyed hearing them laugh. It meant the cat's magic was working even when the subject matter was tense and serious. He was able to make the whole room feel at ease with his presence.

"Yes, that does make sense. But why do you think you saw Mr. Diskence and not anyone else?"

Train smiled and wanted to look at Creed, but didn't. Instead, he contented himself with a mental image of the man. This was the moment he was waiting for. To tell the court how he really felt about his husband under oath.

"Because I love Creed." He allowed a moment of silence after he said that, making sure he spoke the words loud enough that they echoed against the walls of the courtroom. "Creed is the most important person in the world to me. At that moment, I thought I would never see him again. In my near death state and my desperation to see him, my subconscious showed me our lives together."

Again he paused, letting those words sink in to the jury and the rest of the court. "When I was being taken away in the ambulance, I called Creed because I wanted him. I wanted nothing more than to be with him, to see him one more time because I thought I was a goner. To be honest, I didn't even feel any pain at that point. I was numb everywhere except for my heart. And all my heart wanted was Creed."

The silence that followed his statement was deafening. Train wanted to look at Creed so badly, but he didn't. Everything he had just said was so heartfelt and true that if he ruined it by looking at his partner, he would never forgive himself.

Sephiria did look at Creed. The man was crying silently, but his face was the most peaceful she had ever seen. He was staring at Train with such adoring eyes she was worried the silver man was going to rush to the stand and embrace him. If that happened, the whole testimony might be thrown out, so she sighed in relief when she saw Creed was staying put.

She looked back at Train and smiled again. "That was beautifully said, Mr. Heartnet. I'd like to move on to your relationship with Officer Edo."

"What relationship?" Train said instinctively, then smirked sarcastically. "Oh, you mean the one where he called me derogatory terms and sexually assaulted me in the locker room? Yeah, it's a wonderful relationship, don't ya think?"

A few jurors laughed again, but stopped almost immediately, again realizing they shouldn't be laughing at something so tragic. It was just amazing the golden man was able to take such a traumatic event and find the strength to make a joke.

Sephiria nodded. "That's the one. Mr. Heartnet, could you tell me where you were on April 13th last year?"

"My birthday a year ago?" Sephiria nodded her head. "Creed threw me a surprise party. Sven and Eve were there and Saya video called in."

"How long were the festivities?" She paced in front of him, slowly.

"Pretty much all day."

Sephiria nodded again. "Were you with Mr. Diskence all day?"

"I'd say so, yes. There were probably a few times when we were apart to use the bathroom or something, but it's not like we're handcuffed together. Like Micah said, Creed has never forced me to do anything I didn't want to or hold me captive." He then pointed a thumb at Edo. "That guy did, however."

She smiled. "Speaking of Officer Edo, did you see him at all that day?"

Train cocked his head. He was actually kind of confused by these questions. "I was off duty that day. Creed convinced me to take off so we could spend the day together. Why would I have seen Edo?"

"Officer Edo claims you went to his house after the party and that was when your relationship started."

The cat laughed loudly at that. "Seriously? That's ridiculous! I just joined the force a little bit before that. Why would I go to someone's house I barely knew?"

"Just telling you his story, Mr. Heartnet. I thought it was odd too." She stopped in front on Train and looked at him. "Have you ever been sexually attracted to Officer Edo?"

"Ew. No." Train had a look of genuine disgust on his face.

"What about a romantic attraction?" Sephiria looked at Edo when she asked this question. She wanted to see his response.

"No." Train said it loudly and confidently, also looking at the older man when he spoke.

The officer grumbled something to himself which warranted an angry look from Mako. Clark, however, had turned his body away from the whole scene. It was clear this conversation made him very uncomfortable.

Sephiria smiled and looked back at Train. "Then why does he insist there was a relationship?"

"Because he's **insane**? I thought that's been made clear throughout this trial." Train raised an eyebrow when he said this and crossed his arms.

Again, a few snickers from the jury that stopped rather quickly.

"Well, the defense would have us believe that your husband is the crazy one. What do you have to say to that?"

Train chuckled. "Creed can be a little weird, but so can I. His weirdness is one of the things that made me love him. It's a very endearing personality trait." Again, he wanted to look at his partner, but stopped himself. "Besides, who wants to be normal anyway? That sounds boring."

The blonde lawyer smiled. "I think a lot of people in this room can relate to that." She looked at the jury for confirmation and couldn't help but notice some of them were smiling slightly.

Her demeanor changed from charming to serious as she turned back to her client. She knew this next part was going to be hard. "Mr. Heartnet, I would like to talk about that day at the police station, if you're ready."

When Train saw the look in her eyes, he knew what was coming next. He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a second so he could picture Creed's face. Once he felt himself relax, he opened them back up and faced Sephiria.

"I'm ready, Ms. Arks."

She smiled sadly at him then turned to a television that was next to the witness stand. "During Officer Edo's testimony, the defense broke the video apart piece by piece and had him explain what was happening. Officer Edo claims everything that happened was out of consent, and it was just something you were in to."

Train shook his head. "If he's insinuating that was some kind of BDSM, he couldn't be more wrong. Saying what happened was anything other than assault is disrespectful to people who willing partake in those activities."

Before she started the video, she turned back to Train. "What do you mean?"

The cat sighed. "I told him no and to stop several times. It was **not** a game and I was being **very** clear in my refusal. While I don't know much about the BDSM world, I do understand no means no."

Sephiria nodded. "I agree. Mr. Heartnet, in response to the defense's tactics, I'd like to break apart the video so we can hear your side. Is that okay?" She held a remote in her hand, ready to hit play once the golden man gave her the go ahead.

Train once more took a deep breath and closed his eyes so he could picture Creed's face again. He also imagined Aimi's, Emma's, and William's words and felt strength surge within him. The cat rubbed his hands on his thighs, then opened his eyes and nodded. Sephiria returned the gesture and hit play.

The golden man watched himself being thrown against the lockers, lifted in the air, and slapped across the face. After that happened, Sephiria stopped the video and turned to Train.

"Officer Edo claimed every session you had with him started like this. Is this true?"

Train shook his head roughly. "No. He and I have never had a 'session' before and if even if we did, I would **never** be okay with being pinned down and slapped in the face. That's the money maker." It was an instinct to use humor to get him through difficult times, but he could tell his fear was breaking through his jokes.

Sephiria frowned as she watched the cat rub his cheek and try to smile. She could tell he was remembering what it felt like to be hit that hard. Train also gripped at his wrists anxiously, as if he could still feel Edo's hands wrapped around them.

Next, he watched as Edo forced his lips against his own. He grimaced at the memory and the video. Train could still feel the older man biting his lips, slapping him several more times, and felt himself spitting out blood. Sephiria stopped the video again and turned back to Train once more.

"What happened here? Officer Edo didn't look too happy." Sephiria folded her arms across her chest as she spoke.

Train shook his head again. "I bet he wasn't happy. I bit his tongue pretty hard." He tried to sound proud of himself, but even he could hear the disgust in his voice when he told that part of the story. The cat could still feel the unwanted appendage slither down into his mouth.

Sephiria pointed to the screen. "I also can't help but notice your legs are kicking the air quite wildly. Officer Edo said it was excitement. Is that true?"

"Absolutely not. I was trying to get away. I was hoping if I kicked my legs hard enough I would make contact with him and he would let me go."

The woman nodded and frowned, then let the video continue. Train now saw Edo choking him and talking to him. There was no audio to the video, but he remembered what the man was saying. He then watched as he spit in Edo's face and said something back to him.

Once more, the video stopped and Sephiria addressed Edo. "What did Officer Edo say to you while he was choking you?"

Train felt his heart racing, but it was with rage, not anxiety. He glared at the man and spat his words out. "He told me to give in. He told me I **wanted** this and the more I struggled the more excited it made him." He clenched his fists at the memory and kept his deadly eyes on his attacker. "He even had the nerve to call me kitten."

Edo rolled his eyes and spoke. "That's a pet name, you know that! The whole precinct calls you Kitty!"

"The sun will burn out before I **ever** let you give me a pet name…" Train's voice was a growl and he dug his nails into his own leg.

Before Edo could say anything else, the judge banged her gavel and called for them to calm down. She gave them both a warning and told Sephiria to continue. The tall blonde put a strong hand on Train's shoulder, bringing his eyes back to her. When she smiled, Train took another breath in and leaned back in his chair.

"I then spit in his face and told him to eat shit." He crossed his arms as he spoke and grinned proudly at his past self.

"Sounds like you weren't having as much fun as the defense led us to believe."

"Zero fun was had that day." Train touched his lips as he looked at the video. "He bruised my lips. When I tried to kiss Creed later that night, it hurt. I couldn't kiss my own partner because of that **bastard** …" He gave the officer one last angry look, then turned back to the video Sephiria had started again.

He watched in horror as Edo forced a gag into his mouth and grabbed between his legs harshly. Train felt the pain return to his groin and winced a little. Seeing Edo punch him in the stomach and smiling at his pain made the rage boil inside him again and he had to grip his stomach to block out the memory and the feeling. He felt like throwing up watching Edo talk to him again, remembering what the man was saying to him.

Sephiria stopped the video again and turned back to Train. She noticed he was gripping his stomach and had a sick look on his face. The lawyer frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Train? Can you keep going?"

Train closed his eyes and saw Creed's blue ones and nodded his head. "Yes. Ask your questions."

He kept his eyes shut, but listened to the woman's voice. "What did Edo say to you then?"

He took another deep breath, but kept his eyes closed. "He said he was going to own me when he was done. He called me his property."

The cat's ears perked when he heard a loud gasp. He could tell it came from William and the man had just realized how similar their attacks were.

Sephiria's voice said their thoughts out loud. "Just like Mr. Garcia…"

She gave Train a minute to calm down and open his eyes. Once he did, he nodded at her and she finished the video. Train watched as he started to slip out of Edo's grasp and the man removed his hand from his pants to get a better grip. However, now that the gag had been dropped and the officer was using his hand to cover his mouth, Train was able to bite down, then get a good punch in and escape his grasp. He watched himself run out of the room quickly, stumbling as he did so.

When the video ended, the room was silent. Watching it, Train didn't know how anyone could see that as anything other than an attack. He turned to Sephiria, knowing he still looked sick as he spoke. Train decided to speak his thoughts out loud so everyone knew how he felt.

"I don't know how **anyone** can twist that into something that I wanted…"

Sephiria smiled kindly and squeezed his shoulder tenderly. "I don't either, Train…" She used his first name to make him feel more comfortable since she knew he didn't like the formalities they had to use in court.

"This next part is going to be easier." The video changed to one of him and Creed. It was the one of them dancing at Sven and Eve's wedding.

Train smiled unknowingly at the video, feeling the pain of his memories beginning to pass by like a bad dream as he watched him twirl his partner on the dance floor. Sephiria smiled at his innocent look, knowing the cat had no idea how adoringly he watched the video.

"Mr. Heartnet, when did this take place?"

"At Sven and Eve's wedding." His voice had changed too. It went from angry and frightened to blissful and loving.

Sephiria nodded and changed the video again. "And this?"

This was the video Train took before the assault. He had forgotten he took this video, and felt his heart warm at the memory. It was nice that Sephiria planned this after he watched Edo attack him. She clearly wanted to end with happy thoughts, not negative ones.

"This was me messing around with Creed. He hates when I sneak up on him, so naturally I do it every chance I get."

The jury laughed at his adorable response and Sephiria knew in that moment they got them on their side. The video changed to a picture of Train carrying Creed bridal style, making the cat on the stand laugh loudly.

"What's so funny?" Sephiria asked with a smirk.

Train pointed at the screen and smiled. "Saya took this picture a few nights before Sven and Eve's wedding. I was trying to explain to Sven how he needed to enter every room with Eve after they got married, so I picked Creed up and Saya took a picture so we could send it to them as a reminder of their sacred duty as a married couple."

More laughs came from the jury and Sephiria couldn't help but chuckle a little as well. She stopped herself and changed the picture again. "And this?"

"This was me feeding Creed a terrible meal I made. I know I'm not the best cook, but Creed finally found the courage to tell me I suck, so I got my revenge by making him eat it." Train smiled at the picture. "I didn't make him eat the whole thing. He might have gotten food poisoning if he did. We threw it out and Creed cooked instead. He's much better at it than I am. He makes pretty much all of our meals."

Sephira nodded and changed it a few more times. Train had a story for each picture, and the stories he told were too endearing to ignore. He spoke with so much fondness in his voice, Sephiria knew there was no way the jury didn't notice it. Finally, the last picture was one of Creed sleeping. Train smiled warmly at this picture and answered his lawyer's questions before she asked it.

"I took this picture. It should still be the background on my phone. I haven't seen my phone since I woke up, so I assume it still is." Train looked at Sephiria instead of the screen this time.

The tall blonde nodded. "It is. Why did you make this the background on your phone?"

Train blushed a little, then scratched his cheek to cover it up. "Because I thought he looked cute…"

The lawyer smiled and nodded at him. She wanted to ask that specific question last, because it pretty much summarized the strength of their relationship. However, after that nurse's testimony, she couldn't help wanting to mess with the man a little.

"Is it true that you and Mr. Diskence engaged in a sexual activity while you were hospitalized?"

The cat's blush grew and he gave Sephiria a small glare. "Yes…"

She smiled, enjoying embarrassing the man to no end. "And who started that encounter?"

He sighed and pointed to himself.

The lawyer nodded. "And how often were the two of you laying in bed together and embracing during your stay at the hospital?"

Now the golden man smiled. "Every second we go. The medical staff was getting tired of having to pry us apart so they could give me a check up."

"Why did you do it so often?" She knew the answer, but wanted Train to say it.

"Because we missed each other." His response was simple, but true and undeniably cute.

Sephiria smiled widely and turned to the jury.

"From the words of the man of the hour himself. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, how can you look at these images-" She flipped through all the pictures and videos again quickly, then finished her sentence. "-And think my client was in love with this man instead of Mr. Diskence?" She paused on an image of Train being strangled by Edo.

She turned off the television and stepped towards the jury. "You heard Mr. Heartnet's words, you saw his face when he spoke about Mr. Diskence and Officer Edo. Ask yourself, which man made him sound happy? Which man made him sound angry? Which man gave him a look of love, and which gave him fear and disgust?"

She smiled at Train, then turned to the judge. "No further questions."

As she took her seat, Train remained where he was. He was dying to look at Creed, but still knew he couldn't. After that whole testimony, he wasn't going to ruin it by indulging his selfish wants. Instead, he looked at Mako, ready for the man to do his worst.

"Mr. Heartnet, it's a pleasure to meet you. Officer Edo has told me a lot about you." Mako didn't look at him as he spoke as he was too preoccupied with his own notes.

Train rolled his eyes and realized it didn't hurt his head. In fact, his head didn't hurt throughout any of that. The idea made him smile confidently and address the man proudly.

"Wish I could say the same. And all good things I hope?" He made sure his voice sounded flat so there could be no misconstruing what he really meant with his statement.

Mako looked at him above his glasses. "He mentioned you were a bit of a smart ass." He grinned when he said this, trying to sound sincere in his friendliness.

"I prefer quick witted, but I'll accept smart ass. Just not from **him**." Train tossed a heated glance at the officer, making sure he could hear the anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like Mr. Diskence has gotten to you again. Hopefully we can bring you back around in this testimony." He smiled kindly which made Train gag noticeably.

"I'll gag myself with a rusty spoon before I **ever** admit your story is true."

Mako shrugged his shoulders. "Let's see what we can do about that. Officer Edo misses you dearly."

"I don't think you know what that word means. Would you like me to define it for you?" Train smirked at the lawyer and leaned back in his chair, enjoying the few chuckles he got from the jury.

Mako was getting frustrated by Train's smart remarks and moved on. "Mr. Heartnet, do you believe Mr. Torres' diagnosis is accurate?"

Train nodded. "Yup. I'm no expert, but what he says makes sense."

"Even though he made that diagnosis after just one session?"

"Yeah, Micah's a good guy and a professional. He doesn't gain anything by making it up." Train wanted to find the therapist in the seats, but was worried if he looked away, Mako would accuse him of looking to Creed for an answer.

"I'm not arguing he's a not good man who's bad at his job. I'm just saying he's human and humans make mistakes, would you agree?"

Train nodded again. "No doubt, no doubt. I make mistakes all the time, but Creed is **not** one of them."

He knew Mako didn't ask any questions about Creed, but he couldn't help sneaking that in there. Every time he talked about his relationship with Creed, Edo would grow angry and Train thought he might be able to get another outburst from him and close the lid on this case for good.

Mako ignored what he said about Creed and continued. "What did you think of Stockholm syndrome?"

"Those stories Micah shared were very sad and I feel sorry for those people." Train made sure his eyes were locked onto the lawyer in front of him.

"And you don't see any similarities to your situation?" Mako tried to push the point on to Train.

"No. That's such a dumb counter argument. I can't believe you think it's true. Aren't lawyers supposed to be smart? Didn't you go to school for like a million years to get your degree? I know my husband is working his ass off in law school and he's a genius."

He noticed Edo clenched his fist and growled at Train's words. Clark didn't seem to care about anything Train said. It was as if he had checked out of the whole trial.

Mako nodded. "Yes, there is a lot of work involved in law school and I learned quite a bit, which is why I believe it's possible you are suffering from Stockholm syndrome."

"Law school doesn't give you a degree in mental health." Train rebuttal and looked at his fingers arrogantly.

Mako was getting frustrated. "Remind me what your degree is in?"

"Oh, nothing. I wouldn't have even made it through high school without Creed's help." He didn't look at Mako as he found his fingers much much more entertaining than the man.

"Then maybe you should take the advice from someone who is educated." He tried to sound calm, but Train was getting on his nerves.

"I am. **You're** the one that doesn't believe what Micah's saying." He sounded a little cocky as he spoke since he knew he was getting under the lawyer's skin.

Mako sighed and tried a different tactic. "You're a smart guy, Mr. Heartnet-"

Train interrupted him. "Am I? That's not what you were insinuating earlier."

It infuriated him more that the people in the courtroom found Train's antics funny. "No, I did not. What I'm saying is you're not a stupid man. Are you telling me that you really don't think it's possible you are experiencing Stockholm syndrome?"

"I have a feeling I might after this examination is over…" Train mumbled his words, but made sure Mako could hear them.

"What was that?" Mako questioned, even though he knew what he said.

Train gave him a cheeky smile. "Just being a smart ass again."

The lawyer rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Just answer the question Mr. Heartnet…"

"Which question?" The audience laughed, but he was actually only half kidding. He honestly forgot what the question was.

"There's that memory problem again. We'll get back to that in a minute." Mako looked Train in the eyes and smiled as best he could. "Do you think it's possible you have Stockholm syndrome?"

"No. That's ridiculous." Train stared back at him and made sure the man saw the honesty in his eyes.

Mako stepped away from him. "Did you know part of Stockholm syndrome is denying you have it?"

"Did you know the 'Ms' in M&Ms stand for 'Mars' and 'Murrie'?" Train gave him a curious look when he said this, as if he genuinely wanted the man to answer the question.

Mako blinked at him. "What?"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry." Train laughed and brushed his words out of the air. "I thought we were sharing random facts that had nothing to do with the case. That's the only reasonable explanation as to why you brought up a symptom to a disorder no one in this room has." He stopped and thought about his words. "Actually, I don't know everyone in this room, so I apologize if I triggered anyone's disorder." He leaned over the stand and said his last sentence a little louder so people on the back could hear them.

The lawyer stifled a growl as more laughter was heard at the cat's joke. "Mr. Heartnet, can you please take this seriously?"

"I'm as serious as a cucumber." He gave the man another cheeky smile.

Mako rubbed his eyes again and stopped his pacing, once more restraining his annoyance at the people who continued to be amused by Train's frustrating behavior. "That's not even the correct saying…"

"Whatever. I'm not very smart. Did I say that already?" He thought again, then nodded. "Yeah, I think I did."

"You seem to be in good spirits for a man who is supposedly traumatized." Mako thought he'd be able to get him now, since Train was showing to be acting very happy for someone who claimed to have been through so much.

Train shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? Seeing all these brave people stand up and testify against that monster gave me hope. I've also had my life put into perspective after seeing an old friend." He glanced at Baldor who stood in the back of the room and smiled, the other man returning his gesture. "Besides, aren't you also arguing that I'm traumatized? Just that I'm traumatized by someone other than your client?"

Train crossed his legs and arms, smirking as the man cursed to himself quietly. "Kinda shot yourself in the food with that one, buddy."

Mako clapped his hands loudly to get the court's attention off Train and onto him and also let out a bit of his anger. He couldn't believe this man was making him not only lose his cool, but also frustrated him enough that he was making rookie mistakes.

"Mr. Heartnet. I'd like to talk about that dream you had that your doctor claimed caused your seizure."

Train nodded. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Everything." Mako said as he leaned his back on the table that held his clients.

The cat sighed and imagined his partner's face again, letting the words of his fellow victims ring in his ears. "After Creed left earlier that day, I had trouble settling. I couldn't sleep before I spoke with Micah, but after the conversation it was harder. Especially without Creed there."

"And why wasn't he there?" Mako folded his arms across his chest.

Train glared at him. "Because you all seem to think he's so obsessed with me that he would never leave me in fear that he would lose his control over me."

Mako tilted his head in confusion. "Does he have control over you?"

"The only control he has is the control I've given him by loving him." Train's lips were smiling, but his eyes were still glaring.

"And that love is real?" Again, he mimicked confusion, but the cat knew he was just trying to get to him.

"Yes, wasn't that obvious by the nurse's story? Doing that was my idea, not Creed's." Now the cat was smirking, seeing Edo didn't like how that kept being brought up. "Do you want to hear about my nightmare or not?"

Mako gestured for him to continue.

"We were outside the Goto house. I was… chained to a street light and Clark held a gun to my head. I didn't see it happen, but Creed was on the ground, dead. The assumption I came to was Clark had shot him." He stopped and took another deep breath so he could continue. "Edo then approached me and repeated the attack at the station except this time… It was more violent."

The lawyer stared at him for a minute before speaking. "Is that it?"

Train gawked at him. "Is that it? Is that not enough for you?"

Mako shook his head. "No. Mr. Diskence could have planted that story in your head."

The golden man actually laughed at that idea. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense." His voice was caked in sarcasm.

Mako shrugged his shoulders. "That or Mr. Diskence had you change the narrative. Is it true that you saw him at the scene of the crime?"

"No, that's not the entire truth." Train shook his head, but kept his eyes on the lawyer.

"The paramedics said you were calling him."

The cat rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure I talked about this before, but I guess that wasn't enough for you. I called him because I saw my life flashing before my eyes and I **wanted** to see him. That want was so strong my mind created the image to help soothe me into the sweet, welcoming arms of death."

Mako brushed away his dark words in favor of his own. "To me, this sounds like a story Mr. Diskence planted in your head as a way to get out of him being there. The nightmare is just the icing on the cake. The seizure was most likely caused by seeing my client earlier that day and feeling the ache at wanting to be with him, but knowing Mr. Diskence would retaliate as soon as he left. The real reason he left you alone in the hospital was to have time to think of a new strategy to manipulate you."

Train rolled his eyes. "Do you know what happened just before Edo showed up?" He didn't wait for a response as he smirked and pointed at the nurse in the audience. " **She** does. Do you want her to come back up here and retell her story? Or shall I?"

Mako walked away from the table and towards Train. "That won't be necessary and I don't see how it's relevant to the seizure or nightmare."

The golden man shrugged his shoulders. "It's not. In fact, if Creed had stayed I would have had something to distract me from the bad dreams." He had the audacity to make his voice sound a little seductive.

Mako choked back a growl then changed the subject completely. This was just another round he lost to the cat. "Mr. Heartnet, let's talk about your memory problem."

Seeing as Train was going to continue making him look like a fool for suggesting he had Stockholm syndrome or his seizure and nightmare were caused by Creed, he decided to move on. At this point, it was up to the jury to decide what they believed his disorder to be.

Train nodded. "Yeah, my brian hasn't been working at full capacity since… Ever, I guess. That would really explain a lot about my schooling…"

A few more laughs came from the jury and the audience and Mako chose to ignore it. "Mr. Heartnet, do you remember what you had for breakfast?"

"Nope. Based on my stomach, not enough." Train put his feet up on the stand and leaned his head back into his hands. "When's lunch?"

Mako pushed his feet down and walked away. "Please respect the courtroom, Mr. Heartnet. I can see why you were in trouble a lot at work for disobeying authority."

Train frowned and leaned forward, pointing at his captain in the seats. "Hey, it's not my fault those uniforms are uncomfortable and they have so many rules and no sense of humor! At least **I** never hurt anyone."

Mako turned to him. "How do you know for sure you've never hurt anyone?"

"Facts." Train shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair.

"You don't think you're hurting Officer Edo at all with this trial?" Mako folded his hands behind his back.

"Pfft, yeah, okay That guy gritting his teeth and growling is certainly a victim of my terrible jokes."

Sephiria was grinning wildly in her chair. This was going far better than she ever imagined. Train was a lot to handle and control. She was hoping he would dance circles around the defense and get them off track often with his playful and laid back attitude. On top of that, she was hoping the jury would see it's not easy to control Train, so the notion that Creed was able to when even a seasoned lawyer couldn't was absolutely absurd.

Mako took another deep breath and brought his thoughts back to where he wanted them to be. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why his man was able to get under his skin so easily. He'd dealt with people **far** worse than Train Heartnet, yet there was just something about his mocking personality that made him flustered.

"My point is, how are we to expect you to properly remember the night of the shooting if you can't even remember what you had for breakfast this morning?"

He shrugged his shoulders again. "Must have been an uneventful breakfast." Seeing Mako was a little confused, he continued. "As Micah said, I can recite the conversation me and Creed had this morning because it was important and he's important to me. But, I can't tell you if I had pancakes or eggs or both because it doesn't matter." He smiled and leaned back in his chair some more. "Do you want to know what me and Creed talked about?"

Mako waved his hand in the air in frustration. "No. We would have no way of verifying if it's the truth."

Train thought about that, then nodded. "Fair enough. Next question?"

"Mr. Heartnet, how was your memory before the shooting occurred?"

Again, the cat thought about that, then moved his hand back and forth as he frowned a little. "Meh?"

The lawyer had to hold back another annoyed sound. "Meh? Care to elaborate?"

"Well, during high school my friends pointed out a lot of things to me that happened when we were kids that I just forgot. That was before I had any kind of brain injury."

Mako smiled thinking he had the cat. "So it's possible that you were suffering from PTSD or Stockholm Syndrome before the accident?"

"Don't get all excited, now. I've always had a hard time retaining information. Remember how I said I'm not very smart?" Again, he thought. This time he did remember saying it, but he wanted to mess with the lawyer a bit. "Wait, did I?"

Mako could hear the sarcasm in his voice and shot him a quick glare. "Memory loss is a sign of Stockholm syndrome. Sounds to me like when Mr. Diskence entered your life in high school, his manipulation began very quickly."

"The only thing Creed ever manipulated in high school was his schedule to match mine." Train was still leaning back in his chair, but he drummed his fingers on the stand. "Memory loss is also common among people who have experienced severe trauma and depression. Did you know that?"

Mako turned away, but looked at him from the corner of his eye. He didn't answer the question, but offered one of his own. "Who told you that? Mr. Diskence?"

"Actually, yes he did. But, so did the internet." Train put up his hands in defense. "Yes, yes, I know the internet can lie and you don't trust Creed. That's why I had Micah confirm it. Creed and I have had conversations about my terrible memory before any of this happened. Actually, before we even started dating we talked about this. My friends liked to make fun of me for it, but Creed was nice enough to explain to them all that trauma can cause memory issues. Then, in private, we had a discussion about how depression can cause it as well and we did the research together."

"So, Mr. Diskence guided you to this conclusion?"

Train sighed in exacerbation. "Did you listen to anything else I said? I have three sources that say it's true."

Mako smiled sneeringly. "Unfortunately, I don't trust any of those sources."

"Well, that sounds like a you problem. The internet is full of lots of information, some right some wrong. This was the former kind of information." Train mimicked the attorney's smile.

"So, what you're saying is on top of the memory issues you're having from the accident, you have inherent memory issues?" Mako walked away from him and towards the jury.

Train narrowed his eyes. He didn't have a smart remark to that. "I guess…"

"Then that doubles the problem. How can we believe your story if we have nothing to go off of other than your troubled and damaged mind?"

The cat sighed. "Because this is all so ridiculous…"

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I didn't quite hear you." He could tell the cat was annoyed and wanted to see if he could push his buttons a bit more.

"This-" He gestured around the whole room. "-Is all so ridiculous. You have no proof that there was ever a relationship between me and Edo and if you're trying to use **that** video as evidence in favor of a fake relationship, you're screwed because no one in their right mind would ever believe that was a welcomed encounter."

"Are you suggesting the jury is incapable of making a sound decision?" He knew Train had won over the jury, so he was hoping he could get them back with this question.

"I ain't suggesting shit, don't put words in my mouth." Train pointed a finger at the man and the judge banged her gavel again.

"That's strike two, Mr. Heartnet. Watch your tone and language."

Train took a deep breath and nodded. "Sorry, your honor." The cat rubbed his head since it started to hurt a little when he snapped at the lawyer. "Side effects of a concussion: irritated easily."

She nodded. "Don't let it happen again."

Mako was happy to see he was able to gain some control of the conversation. He looked back at Sephiria to see her reaction, but the woman still seemed content. The golden man had made enough of an impact that she figured a little snap here and there wasn't going to hurt them.

"I'd like to hear more of why you think this trial is ridiculous." Mako stood in front of the jury as he let Train have the floor.

The cat eyed him wearily, sighed and made sure to be careful with his words. "Everyone has been waiting for me to wake up to tell my story. Now that I am awake and I'm telling my story, it feels like it's not enough. But, why?"

Train looked at the jury now as he spoke. "Why is my story not enough? Because I got hit in the head and don't remember things so good no more?" He said his sentence incorrectly on purpose, not wanting to miss a chance to get a laugh.

"Or is it because my husband's word isn't enough? Again, why? He's been top of his class every school he's attended and at every grade level. He had a hard past too, did anyone even think to mention that without using it against him? How his mother treated him? How she tried to **sell** him when we were in high school? The trauma **he** went through? The attack **he** endured? We keep talking about trauma, but the defense likes to conveniently forget I'm **not** the only victim here. Do I need to remind you of Edo's other victims as well?" He crossed his arms. "I shouldn't have to. Afterall, I'm the one with the memory problems."

He glared at Mako. "I can say this with one-hundred percent certainty. I'm **not** the victim of the man I **know** I love. Creed **never** forced anything on me that I didn't want or ask for. He showed me nothing but love and compassion his entire life and our entire relationship. It's not his fault I'm so blind I didn't see him sooner. That's **my** fault. And he waited fifteen years for me and gave me the space and time I needed to fall in love **on my own**."

Then he looked at Edo. "This man wants you to believe that Edo, the man who **really** broke my brain, is, what? Actually in love with me and we had a secret relationship? You waited to hear what I have to say, so here it is: Everything the defense has said is a lie. You wanted to hear my story? Here is it: **I love Creed Diskence**." He pointed his index finger on the table with each word.

"At no point in our relationship with each other has he **ever** made me feel uncomfortable or scared. He has **never** held me against my will. You know who did?" He pointed to Edo. "Officer Edo. **He** forced himself on me. I thought I was going to **die** that day, and the night at the Goto house."

He choked back a sob and took another deep breath. "And when I thought I was going to die, I saw the man I **actually** love: Creed. But is that enough? No. They want you to believe I saw Creed because he was my tormentor. Because I am such a weak minded person I would allow someone to control me to this crazy extent. To the extent that my oldest friends don't even see it."

Train pointed to the television. "Did that video with Officer Edo look like I was willing to let **anyone** control me? Did you see a man who has no free will? Or did you see a man who was desperate to get away?"

He clenched his fists, happy no one had tried to stop him in his speech. He needed to get this all out and he looked Mako square in the eyes, noticing the man was at a loss for words. "You twist stories, put words in people's mouths, and refuse to accept any professional opinion or credible evidence. And why? Because they're **cops**. Because apparently cops can do no wrong. Society has a blind eye to them because they are held up as heroes. Well guess what?"

He leaned forward a little as he spoke calmly. "I'm also a cop. If you can take their word at face value, then you should be able to take mine. They're not the only 'heroes' in this room." Train sat back and smirked widely. "And just in case I haven't made it clear enough. I love **Creed**. He is my husband **by choice** and I want to spend the rest of my life with him **by choice**. And if I **never** say Edo again… It would be too soon."

The room was silent at his speech. Mako wasn't sure why he didn't try to interrupt him. There was something about those golden eyes that demanded he be heard. There was a certain tenacious abandon in his free spirited soul that insisted he speak and he'd be damned if anyone tried to stop him. He would be heard, whether the defense liked it or not.

Train looked at the dumbfounded man and smirked wider. "You don't by chance have a mic I could drop? That or any other questions?"

Mako gaped at him for a few more seconds before shaking his head and walking away. "...No further questions."

Train slapped his hands on the stand in front of him, pushed up, then jumped over and onto the floor. The adrenaline running through his body gave him back more strength than he realized he had after his recovery and he wanted to let it show.

Sephiria saw his good spirits and decided to reward it. She flattened her hand for him and put it out to the side. It was a lazy gesture, but the woman knew Train would appreciate it. The cat smiled cheekily and gave it a hardy high-five then took his seat next to Creed. Sven and Eve were behind him again, patting his back and telling him good job. Creed immediately grabbed his arm and leaned against him. Train then realized he could look at his husband now, but didn't have the chance as the judge called for lunch while the defense prepared their witnesses.

Train took this moment to turn to his partner and smiled brightly. Creed's cheeks were stained with streaks of tears and his eyes were wide with so many emotions. He was joyous, sad, scared and loving all at the same time. Creed's hands shook as he gripped Train tightly and kissed his shoulder repeatedly. His legs were also vibrating wildly, but his lips were curved in the biggest smile the golden man had ever seen. It was a wild trip seeing the other man showing so many strong emotions at once and it seemed like he didn't quite know how to handle them all.

Train laughed as Creed moved his kisses up Train's shoulder to neck, then cheek. The silver man then wrapped his arms tightly around Train's neck and began crying violently, yet quietly. It was hard to decipher all the feelings that came out in those tears, but Train could feel the overarching warmth of love behind his embrace.

The cat wrapped his arms around Creed's waist and pulled him against his chest. He wanted to kiss his partner, but since Creed had settled firmly into his neck, Train didn't think he could move the man if he tried. Instead, he contented himself on holding Creed in his arms and let him get all his emotions out.

They remained like that as the rest of the room emptied for lunch. Even Sephiria left, giving the men a moment to be with each other before the next part began.

"It's the home stretch, Silver Dollar. We can do it."

Creed nodded into his shoulder and took a bright, shaky breath in. His tears weren't quite done yet, but he still wanted to let his beloved know how he felt. "I love you… **so** much…"

Train chuckled and ran his fingers through his partner's hair. "And you just heard me testify under oath that I love you, too. I hope I finally cemented that fact in your mind."

Again, Creed nodded and squeezed his love as tight as he could. Train pinched him on the shoulder, making sure his husband knew this wasn't a dream before he could ask. He felt the silver man pout a little at the gesture, but his hold on Train never wavered.

The cat laughed again. "You insecure idiot." He kissed Creed on the cheek, then pulled his partner's head back against his neck.

* * *

Sephiria watched as Train and Creed walked back into the courtroom after their recess. She smiled when she saw them holding hands. "Well, I hope you're proud of yourself."

Her question was addressed to Train, so the cat pointed to himself and gave her a confused look.

"Yes, you. Thanks to your testimony, I had to spend the entire recess re-writing my closing statement. Did you read my notes or something?"

Train blinked, then laughed. "Like I'd remember what you wrote anyway. I was just speaking from the heart."

The lawyer smiled wider. "And you did awesome. And the best part is, Mako doesn't have many people to call. In fact, one of the people he described as his 'prime witness' to Creed's violent and possessive personality wants to back out."

"Really?" Train took the seat next to Sephiria this time. Creed was clinging to his arm tightly, still filled with so much joy over Train's very dramatic declaration of love.

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. It's probably too late to back out now, so he will most likely have to testify. However, I have a feeling it's not going to go well for them."

Train was about to ask who it was when the judge re-entered the room and they had to rise. The cat pulled his partner up when he realized Creed wasn't paying attention. The silver man looked embarrassed, but still held on to Train's arm vehemently.

When they sat, Mako remained standing and called his first witness. Train couldn't help but notice he still looked flustered and angry. Either the break wasn't long enough for him to get over Train's testimony, or he was upset about his 'prime witness'.

_Or both. Been a rough day for the guy._

He looked at the man clinging to his arm and smiled. He kissed the top of his head and turned his eyes to the witness stand. Creed had not let go of him since his testimony was over and Train wasn't going to complain. That was a tapestry of emotions the cat can just woven and his partner probably went through so many different feelings he needed Train to be close while he gathered his senses again.

_If he ever gathers them again. I think my arm is starting to fall asleep._

The golden man decided not to say anything. If something happened and this trial went south, Creed may not get a chance to latch onto him like this. That thought worried Train and he put his unoccupied hand on his husband's knee and squeezed tightly.

Creed purred at the gesture and snuggled closer. He didn't know what was going on with the second half of the trial and right now he didn't care. Even if they lost and he was about to be locked away forever, he knew he'd be able to survive with Train's love giving him strength.

Mako called a few more people from the precinct to the stand and they're testimonies were generally the same as their co-workers before them. However, there was a lackluster attitude in their statements that no one in the court could ignore. After Train's testimony, they all seemed to feel a bit guilty. As if they were doing the wrong thing. Even Mako had lost a bit of his fire. Edo was furiously shaking at the table and Clark again looked like he did not care.

When it was Sephiria's turn to cross examine them, she either chose not to, or kept it brief. It was easy for her to tear apart their stories, since they were obviously lies. None of them put up much of a fight at all. Mako was so desperate he even recalled some of the prosecution's witnesses, hoping he could get something more out of them. He didn't. None of them changed their story.

Once when Mako turned to call another witness, he briefly made eye contact with Train. The cat smiled widely at him and raised his hand, as if he was asking to be called back to the stand. The lawyer ignored his obvious wave, but Train couldn't help but hear a few jurors had caught the interaction and were giggling.

"Next witness, Mr. Mako?" The judge asked as she flipped through her notes.

The man sighed and rubbed his eyes. "My next witness doesn't want to testify anymore."

The judge raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Really? Why is that?"

"He just said he doesn't want to testify against Mr. Heartnet."

The judge leaned back in her chair and tapped her pencil on the desk in front of her. "Is he physically or mentally incapable of testifying?"

Mako shook his head, but did not verbally respond.

"Then tell him to come out anyway. I want to hear what he has to say."

The lawyer sighed and duly called the name of his next witness. "The defense would like to call Oliver Jones."

This brought Creed's attention up, but he still did not release his hold on his beloved. He watched wearily as Oliver was sworn in and took a seat. The nurse looked like he was either trying to hide his face or not make eye contact with Train and Creed. While Train felt betrayed at his initial willingness to work with the defense, Creed felt angry. It didn't matter that he no longer wanted to testify against them, the fact that he ever wanted to in the first place was what hurt.

Mako had the small man explain who he was and how he knew Train and Creed. The lawyer then had him describe his relationship with both men, and Oliver hesitated.

"Well… Mr. Diskence was my patient and Tra- Mr. Heartnet was…"

Mako tried to finish his statement. "Your partner?"

Oliver blushed and shook his head wildly. "No! That never happened." He glanced at Train quickly, then looked at his hands. "I… I had a crush on Mr. Heartnet."

Mako nodded. "Did Mr. Heartnet ever show signs of returning these feelings?"

The nurse shook his head again rapidly.

"Did you ever feel like you had a chance?"

"No…" His voice trailed off and everyone would hear the hurt in his voice.

"Do you know why?" Mako stayed in one place. He knew this wasn't going to go well, but he decided to try his original tactic anyway.

Oliver sighed. "Because of Mr. Diskence…"

Mako raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying Mr. Diskence threatened you?"

Oliver shook his head and waved his arms in the air wildly. "No! Never! That never happened."

"Did you feel like Mr. Heartnet was being threatened **by** him?"

"No." It wasn't originally what he was going to say, but after seeing how much Train loved the other man, he couldn't throw Creed under the bus like that.

Mako sighed. "According to both of their testimonies, they weren't in a relationship at that time. How did Mr. Diskence prevent Mr. Heartnet from returning your feelings if they weren't together at that time?"

Oliver twitched and kept his eyes down. "They're relationship was… Complicated at the time. I didn't understand it at the time because I was too infatuated with Tra- Mr. Heartnet. I didn't **want** to see how close they were because **I** wanted to be with Mr. Heartnet…"

"Didn't Mr. Heartnet give you his number?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes, but only because I pretty much blackmailed him. I used his relationship with Mr. Diskence against him and told him I would back off and only contact him if it was about Mr. Diskence." He sighed. "I didn't. I asked him out almost every day."

Mako ignored the guilty thoughts the nurse said out loud and he added at the end of his sentence. "Again, according to testimony they did not have a relationship at that time."

"Like I said, it was complicated. But… It was made clear after they left what they **really** were…"

"How so?" Mako felt like he was going to regret asking that question, but at this point he didn't have anything more to lose.

Oliver looked up at the man, letting him see the sadness in his eyes. "They kissed at the hospital doors when I was saying goodbye to Mr. Heartnet one more time." His eyes fell on Train and he smiled. "I've never seen two people kiss with such passion before. That was when I knew I had no chance."

Train could tell by the way the nurse was looking at him he was saying this as an apology. He knew siding with the defense was a betrayal to whatever friendship they may have had.

Mako watched the nurse behind the stand uneasily. It was obvious this wasn't going anywhere helpful, but he decided to try one more question. "Who kissed who?"

"They kissed each other." Oliver looked back at the lawyer as he spoke.

"Who **initiated** the kiss?" Mako furrowed his brow. His head was starting to hurt from the frustration of his case.

Oliver looked at him curiously. "They both engaged in the kiss more than willingly and Mr. Heartnet stopped responding to my messages after that."

Train couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at his sad statement. He knew he didn't own the small man anything, but he probably could have been a little nicer about letting him down.

The nurse seemed to read the cat's thoughts and gave more of an explanation. "Mr. Heartnet had turned me down kindly so many times before that and I should have gotten the picture sooner. I was just too eager, I guess."

Mako sat down and brushed his hand in the air. "No more questions."

Sephiria stood and walked over to the nurse. She vaguely remembered scolding him back then about leaving Train alone while she questioned him about Creed's case, but other than that she really had no recollection of who he was.

"Mr. Jones, do you still have feelings for Mr. Heartnet?"

Oliver looked at Train, blushed brightly and nodded his head.

"Then why did you agree to testify against him in the first place?"

"I changed my mind! I didn't want to after today." He covered his mouth at the volume of his voice, then looked at the judge apologetically.

Sephiria smiled. "That's okay. Just tell us why?" She was pushing the point because she wanted the jury to see the effect Train had on people, hoping they would be reminded of how he had affected them.

Oliver took a big breath, then answered the question. "...Because I thought if I did I would have another chance with him. I know it's selfish, but…" Now he looked at Creed and the way the silver man clung to Train. He remembered how the silver man had shined brightly whenever the cat entered the room, and the nurse knew all too well how that felt. "You don't know what it's like falling for him…"

Train smiled pitifully at the nurse. He knew pity is not what Oliver wanted from him, but it was all he could give.

_Maybe now that he understands what Creed is to me, we'll be able to start a real friendship._

That wasn't important right now, but Train nodded at the nurse as he stepped off the stand. He smiled at the cat when he passed them, his face as red as always, then took his seat behind them. The courtroom was silent for a while with Mako leaned his head in his hands.

The judge cleared her throat to get his attention and the man stood quickly. "No more witnesses, your honor."

She nodded and addressed the rest of the court. "Then it's time for closing statements."

Train wasn't really listening to what either of them said, but they both generally summarized their points with passionate emphasis. The cat looked at his partner who was still holding his arm and smiled. He ran a finger through his hair which made Creed smile and lean into his gesture. Their eyes locked for a minute, then the judge's voice brought their attention forward.

She was now addressing the jury. "The jury will now be dismissed and given time to deliberate. We will reconvene once their decision is made." She banged her gavel and the jury was ushered out.

Train turned to Sephiria. "What do we do now?"

Before she could answer, Train felt himself being tackled by something large. Baldor had locked his arm around the cat's neck and squeezed tightly. The gesture was definitely a friendly, but Train was not ready for it.

"Wow, Cat, I didn't know you had it in ya! Well, guess I shouldn't be surprised after all those years of putting me in my place."

Trained yelped and pulled tried to pull himself out. "Yeah, that's great, I'm awesome, but can you let me go?! I'm not fully recovered yet!"

Baldor let go and apologized, but Train turned to him and grabbed his old bully in a noogie as well. He laughed when the large man sputtered, but knew Baldor saw the humor in it. Inwardly, Train was thankful to see he was able to actually hold on to the man long enough to give him a noogie. While he forgave Baldor and knew he was a changed man, it was somehow comforting to know if it came to a fight, Train would be able to hold his own.

He let Baldor go then felt Sven jumping on his back. "That was **amazing**! I don't see them taking long to deliberate at all!"

Sephiria's voice interrupted their conversation. "Don't get your hopes up just yet." Their eyes fell on her as she packed up her items. "I've seen cases where the friends and family of a victim got way too excited and ended up losing. Train did a good job winning them over, but you still need to keep in mind if there is even **one** juror who sympathizes with cops, we could be here a while."

Train growled. "But **I'm** a cop."

The lawyer nodded. "Yes, but you're a cop that shows mercy to criminals. The defense made that point **very** clear. To some people, that makes **you** a criminal."

The cat sighed and felt Creed hug him from the side. Train put his arm around his partner and rubbed his head. "Right, whatever. How long do we have?"

"I'd say you have a few hours." The woman looked at her watch as she spoke. Then picked up her briefcase. "To answer your previous question: Go home. You live close enough and you haven't had a chance to settle back in. I think some quiet time in your own home with your husband will do you some good."

Train smiled at her and nodded. He couldn't deny that sounded really good right about now. The lawyer then turned to the rest of his friends who were all wondering the same thing.

"The rest of you should do the same. I have all your numbers and I'll call you when they're ready for us."

Sven stretched and yawned. "Not gonna lie. A nap sounds really good right about now." He offered his arm to his wife and smiled. "Care to join me in our charming motel room?"

She rolled her eyes and took his arm. "I still don't understand why we couldn't get a hotel."

"It was last minute! What do you want me to do?!"

Jenos punched Train in the shoulder and Rinslet smiled at him proudly. "Great job out there, Cat. We're gonna take the Vollfied's lead and head back to our room to take a nap."

Train smiled his friends and felt Baldor pat his shoulder strongly. "I think I'll go for a walk. We can catch up later, I think your lawyer is right. You should rest."

Their ex bully walked away and waved without turning around. Train smiled at his back and thanked the man silently in his head. Then, he saw Oliver sitting in the back, looking very ashamed and depressed. The cat frowned and removed Creed from his body.

When his partner frowned, Train kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back."

As he approached Oliver, William stopped him to thank him again. Aimi and Emma were next to him as well, both women accompanied by a man. Train smiled politely at them and told them he would talk to them later, he really wanted to get to Oliver before they left.

Oliver felt someone standing next to him and stood quickly when he saw Train looking down at him. He stared up at those golden eyes he adored and was about to apologize when the cat grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Thank you." Train's voice was quiet, but Oliver could hear him loud and clear. "I know how hard that must have been, and I just wanted to let you know I appreciated your honesty."

The nurse froze when his crush hugged him. That didn't last long as he buried his face into Train's chest and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He knew this was never going to happen again, so he wanted to enjoy it while he had it.

"Any time… Train…"

Train pulled away and smiled at him. Oliver's heart broke as he watched the golden man grab his partner and leave the courtroom. He waved at the nurse one more time before he left, leaving Oliver to watch the closed doors sadly.

* * *

"Oh God, my bed!" Train fell face first into the bed and held the pillow tight to his face. "Uuuhhh, it's soooo comfortable!"

Creed giggled as he watched his cat roll around the bed. He decided to join his love and laid down next to him, curling up as close as he possibly could. Train rolled over and wrapped his arms around Creed, pulling the silver man up so he was against his chest and Creed stared at Train's face.

Despite knowing his cat was tired, Creed felt like he hadn't touched Train in so long he couldn't stop himself. His hand trailed up Train's shirt and against his stomach. He traced his muscles gently and smiled to himself.

"Thank you for everything you said today, Love."

Train looked down at him curiously. "Why are you thanking me? I just told the truth."

Creed nodded against his beloved and moved his hand up to Train's chest, massaging the muscles there. "I know… But still… You didn't have to be that dramatic with it."

His cat laughed. "Since when are you against being dramatic?"

The silver man frowned and pinched Train's nipple. When his love gasped loudly, Creed giggled. "That's what you get."

"Oh I don't think you know what you started."

Train pulled Creed over so he was on top of him. The silver man knew exactly what the consequences for his actions were going to be and he was ready. Creed immediately wrapped his legs around Train's waist and kissed him deeply. Train returned the kiss and ran his hands up Creed's back.

The silver man broke the kiss momentarily so he could take off his shirt and Train did the same. They were back on each other in an instant, realizing now might be their last chance to be with each other if the jury's decision didn't go their way.

Creed moaned heavily against his love's mouth, wrapping his arms around Train's neck and pulling him close. Train dug his fingers into Creed's back and pushed their chests together. Their tongues twirled against one another eagerly, wanting to taste as much of each other as they could, memorizing the curves and crevices of each other's mouths.

Without breaking the kiss, Creed moved his hands to undo Train's paints and the cat copied his motions. The separated momentarily as the undressed each other fully, but locked their lips once more as soon as their clothes were properly disposed of.

Creed ran his hands against Train's upper body as much as he could while keeping his lips against his loves. He moaned as Train squirmed underneath him, feeling his partner's member growing against his own. Creed knew he was the moment Train laid on the bed.

"Train…" He moaned between kisses, not stopping his lips or his hands from what they were doing. "It feels like it's been so long since I've touched you like this…"

Train didn't respond, but Creed felt him laugh against his lips. His beloved was running his fingers through his hair and back eagerly, pushing his lower body up into Creed vehemently. Feeling Train's member brush against his own he groaned loudly and applied pressure of his own.

As they moved their bodies against each other, they realized it was not enough to satisfy the heat in their bodies. After being unable to be with each other like this for so long and Train learning how he really felt about the man, this small gesture didn't seem like it was enough to express their love.

Creed reached between Train's legs and pumped his shaft earnestly. His love gasped against his lips and then moved his lips to Creed's neck. The silver man moaned at the feel of his cat against him, then reached over to grab the lube he needed to get the job done.

When Train felt the lubricated hand against him, he moaned again and mimicked his partner's motions. Once his hand was properly greased up he took hold of Creed's shaft as well. The two moved their hands against each other wildly, feeling the heat boiling inside them, but still unsatisfied. They wanted to be closer to each other, so Creed finally stopped and moved himself down Train's body.

He began sucking his partner off hungrily and Train felt himself thrusting his hips unknowingly. Creed pinned his partner's hips down angrily, then continued what he was doing. Hearing his cat's moans of pleasure and feeling him squirm under his mouth gave him such a rush of heat he didn't know how to contain it. This still didn't feel like enough. As much as he was enjoying having Train in his mouth and as good as it felt, Creed's body ached for more.

Creed stopped and removed his mouth from Train. The cat moaned unhappily, then looked down at his partner to see why he stopped. He noticed Creed was positioning himself strangely above his hard member. Before he guided Train to his entrance, Creed looked up at the cat as if asking for permission.

Train sat up a little and nodded vigorously. The idea of being inside his husband was exactly what his body was craving. Creed smiled and slowly lowered himself onto his beloved. He shut his eyes tight as he felt Train pierce through him. The lube definitely helped, but it still hurt immensely.

The golden man saw his pain and sat up fully so he could hold Creed against his chest. He kissed his neck and face tenderly, hoping that would help with the pain.

"Creed, you don't have to if it hurts." Train tried to sound caring, but the more he entered Creed, the better it felt and he could feel his voice crack with lust. The tightness of his partner was the most incredible thing he had ever experienced, but he didn't want to hurt his husband.

Creed still had his eye shut, but shook his head wildly. "No. I want this just as much. And I've wanted it longer, so I'm getting it even if it kills me."

Train laughed at his melodramatic statement and kissed him again. "Now who's being dramatic?"

"Be quiet and let me concentrate." He almost had Train all the way inside of him and he needed to adjust to the feeling. Once his cat was fully inside, he caught his breath and clung to Train tightly. "Oh my God, you're too big, Train."

His cat laughed again and wrapped his arms around Creed's back. "I've never heard you complain about that before."

"That was before you were inside of me. That took forever." His voice was still strained and breathless as he spoke. He was trying to get used to the feel of his cat inside of him.

Creed sat still as he waited for his body to settle. The silver man cuddled his body up against his love's and curled his hands against his chest. He wanted so badly to let Train make love to him freely, but he needed a minute. He could feel his love throbbing inside of him and moaned at the sensation.

"Oh, God, I've wanted this for so long." He nuzzled his head into Train's neck and concentrated on catching his breath again.

Train smiled and kissed his husband on the head. He held Creed against his chest lovingly and massaged his back affectionalte. The primal side of him wanted to start thrusting in and out of his partner frantically, but he wanted to make sure Creed was okay before he let that side take over.

The cat must have moved out of instinct since he heard Creed whimper a little. "Sorry…" He said as he kissed the man again. "I'm trying not to hurt you."

Creed gave his cat a strained laughed. "That seems impossible with what you've got going on down there." He leaned against his husband and felt his body beginning to relax.

"That didn't sound much like a complaint that time." Train tickled his partner's back and tried to concentrate on not moving. It was hard since every impulse in his body screamed at him to do the opposite.

Creed shook his head and kissed his love's neck. "Not complaining at all. I could never complain with you inside of me." His breathing had slowed down and his pain was beginning to subside. As he breathed in his cat, he smiled and kissed his chest. "You feel so good, Train…"

Train eyed his partner curiously when he said that and decided to test the waters. He moved his hips slightly. Not enough to cause Creed pain, but enough to gage the man's reaction. The silver man gasped quietly, then moaned when Train stopped. The cat did it again, which earned another gasp, this one louder than the last. He did it a few more times and moaned a little himself. The tightness of his partner made it almost impossible for him to control himself, but he knew that he had to if they were both going to enjoy this moment.

He thrust inside Creed once more before pulling him away from his chest and looking into his eyes. "Are you ready?"

Creed's eyes were glossed over and his face was dazed, but he managed to nod his head. When Train thrust into him again, Creed gasped loudly and lost himself in Train's eyes. The silver man wrapped his arms around his cat's neck and pressed their foreheads together. He didn't want to break eye contact with his beloved as Train moved in and out of him.

Train moved in and out again, watching Creed's face to see if he hit any particularly pleasurable spots. Each thrust he made Creed cried out, but it wasn't the reaction Train was looking for. He decided to adjust himself a little inside his partner and moved in and out again. Creed moaned loudly and kissed him wildly, but it was still not quite the right spot.

"Are you okay?" Train kept moving in and out of Creed as he spoke, but a little slower now as he wanted to make sure his partner was still okay.

"Yes… Move a little to the left." Creed's voice was quiet, but sweet. He was enjoying how Train felt, but he knew his husband was trying to find a certain spot.

When Train adjusted again, Creed screamed loudly and gripped his back so hard he felt like his skin was going to break. The cat smiled as Creed caught his breath after that thrust and did it again. The silver man had the same reaction and nodded his head robustly.

"That's it... Right there, Love..."

Train was happy to oblige and hit that spot once more. Creed screamed even louder this time and Train left himself there for a few seconds. He clawed his fingers against Train's back and panted fiercely. Again, Train moved against his sensitive spot and Creed shouted out his name.

"Oh, Train!" His voice was shaking as Train poked the area again, looking deep into his eyes, wanting to remind himself who was making him feel such wonderful ecstasy.

Train was also feeling the intense pleasure and really had to work hard to control himself. He had never done this before and neither had Creed, so he was following his instincts and responding to his partner's body and voice.

He moved in and out of his husband a few more times, the heat in his groin building to an almost incomprehensible level as Creed said his name over and over. Train moved his hands to Creed's hips and started to bounce him up and down quickly, making sure to aim for the same spot he had discovered.

Creed felt like he was in a dream and Train's eyes were his guiding light back to reality. The heat that was pooling in his stomach was inconceivable. He had imagined doing this with Train so many times, but the dream of it was nothing compared to reality. As Train bounced him up and down his member, Creed cried out his name as loud as he could, not caring if anyone heard him.

"TRAIN!" He shouted and kissed his cat furiously.

Train returned the kiss and felt himself ready to explode inside his partner. His breathing was fast and his heart was pounding loudly in his chest. While Creed had been waiting his whole life for this moment, Train had never even thought about it. But now that it was happening, he couldn't believe it had never occurred to him to do this. He didn't think something could feel this good and he didn't think anything in his life would ever compare to this moment.

The cat knew Creed was almost ready too. He was actually surprised the man on his lap hadn't already exploded. Based on Creed's reactions, he was in heaven and didn't want the time they were joined as one to end. However, they both knew this couldn't last forever, so Train decided to give in more to his primal instincts.

Train left one hand on Creed's lower back and leaned back on his other one. This gave him more leverage to push back against, while his other hand was able to keep Creed moving up and down against him. When Creed saw his beloved moving back, he followed him and continued their deep kiss.

The golden man moaned loudly and moved even faster inside his partner. Creed was showing much less restraint than Train in his cries, but that was because the cat was trying to concentrate. He wanted this to feel good for himself and for his husband, so he needed to make sure he hit Creed's soft spot with every thrust while also enjoying the friction the man created against him.

As Train felt Creed's lips against his and heard his partner calling out his name between those kisses loudly, he moved even faster, breathing heavily and gasping loudly. He started to say Creed's name as well, which set the silver man's heart on fire.

"Oh, Creed…" He moved even faster, not aware he was capable of moving that quickly. "Creed… You feel so good…"

Hearing his beloved's voice and feeling him hit that spot over and over again at such a fast speed was too much for Creed. He felt himself reach his breaking point and finally burst onto Train's stomach. The silver man screamed powerfully when he released onto Train, but his kisses didn't stop and neither did his gratifying feelings as Train continued to move in and out of him.

After seeing his partner had finished, Train decided he didn't need to hold it in anymore and exploded inside of his partner, screaming Creed's name vociferously as he did. Even when he finished, the thrust inside Creed a few more times slowly before finally stopping and swallowing heavily.

Creed fell against Train and curled up against his chest. The cat wrapped his arms around the silver man's small frame and began catching his breath. Creed could feel his cat's heart beating against his cheek and frowned as he looked up at his beloved.

"Are you okay, Love?"

Train looked down at his partner's virtuous blue eyes and blinked. "What? After **that**? Of course I am…" His voice was a whisper as he tried to talk in between gasps of air.

Creed smiled and kissed his chest tenderly. "I just wanted to make sure we didn't accidentally hurt your head with all that excitement."

The cat thought about that, then laughed. "I guess it hurts a little. But there were too many good feelings to block it out, I'm not sure if it hurt during."

Creed giggled and kissed his cat again. "Good."

He was still trying to catch his breath as well, but he was also feeling very tired. The silver man nuzzled his head into Train's neck and shoulder and shut his eyes. He curled his hand into his love's chest and sighed peacefully.

"I can't believe it finally happened." He pointed a warning finger at Train. "Don't pinch me!"

Train laughed breathlessly and pulled Creed tight against his chest. "I can't believe this never occurred to me. No wonder people enjoy it so much."

Creed smiled as he shut his eyes again. "It wouldn't feel as good with someone else…"

He could feel his cat nodding his head in agreement, then kiss the top of his head as he held Creed a little closer. Train rested his cheek on top of his partner's head, finally catching his breath and shutting his eyes as well.

As he ran his fingers through Creed's hair, he realized that he was still partially inside of the silver man. After exploding he had gone soft, so it was harder to stay inside of him. Train pulled Creed off him, much to the man's displeasure, and moved him against the bed.

The cat laughed when Creed pouted up at him. "I can't stay there forever, Creed."

His pout didn't leave his face. "Says who?"

"I don't know. Biology?"

Seeing that wasn't a good enough answer, Train leaned forward and kissed him lovingly. The cat laid next to him and shut his eyes. Creed immediately rolled over so he was on top of Train again and cuddled as close as he could. The golden man smiled and wrapped his arms about Creed.

They shut their eyes and fell into the most peaceful slumber either of them had ever had.

* * *

Train's head shot up when he heard his phone ringing loudly from his pants.

He cursed and jumped off the bed, realizing he didn't know where they had fallen to. By the time he found them, he missed Sephiria's call and grumbled to himself.

Unlocking his phone, Train saw she didn't leave a voice message. Instead, she texted him. Before he checked the message, he noticed it had been four hours since they left the courtroom. Train felt his stress level rise at that thought, wondering if they had missed an important call.

He pushed that thought aside and read his lawyer's message:

" _Jury is at a stalemate. We're reconvening tomorrow afternoon."_

Train locked his phone again and looked at Creed who was just barely awake. However, when he saw the worried look on his cat's face, he frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Train threw him his phone so he could read for himself. Creed felt his heart stop and looked up at Train in a panic as he reached out for his beloved. The cat complied and crawled back on to the bed and next to his husband.

He pulled Creed against his chest and kissed his forehead fondly. Train sighed when he realized the man in his arms was actually shaking a little and buried his face deep into his chest.

The cat pushed him away and moved his face up so it was facing him. He smiled cheekily, knowing that gesture never failed to work on his husband.

"No matter what happens, don't forget that I love you. You got that?"

Creed nodded and gazed lovingly into his eyes. Train kissed him deeply one more time before trying to go back to sleep.


	26. Finding Peace Part 1

CW: Yaoi

Diclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

* * *

** Finding Peace Part 1 **

"Oh, Train..." Creed threw his head back against Train as he moaned, pushing his lower body out a little so his beloved had better access to it.

His cat was standing behind him at the kitchen sink, thrusting his member in and out of him vigorously, pressing his lips on Creed's shoulder as he kissed and sucked at his soft skin passionately. The silver man used one hand to push against the counter while his other held the back of Train's head against his shoulder. Train had one of his arms wrapped around Creed's waist, the other against his chest, crossing up to his husband's shoulder that his mouth was not currently sucking.

Train had managed to leave their bedroom to get water and food, but was soon followed by Creed who enticed him into another intimate session. He even walked after his partner with a bottle of lube in hopes he'd be able to seduce Train enough to use it.

The silver man snuck up behind his cat while he was in front of the sink, then groped and stroked all the spots he had learned set Train off until he felt his cat was fully erect and ready to go. Finally, he was rewarded exactly the way he wanted as Train had turned around and pushed Creed against the counter in front of the sink.

When Creed felt his cat nibble at his shoulder delicately, he moaned again and pushed a little harder against Train, hoping that would be a signal for his husband to thrust harder. He gasped loudly when he felt Train do exactly that and shut his eyes tight at the heat boiling between his legs.

Train gripped his partner tightly and pushed harder into him. He then lifted his head and moved his lips against his partner's ear. The golden man bit it lightly first, then whispered quietly, sending shivers sound Creed's back.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He kept a steady beat going inside of the silver man, feeling heat rise in his body as Creed gasped with each thrust he made.

Creed nodded and pulled Train's mouth back against his ear. He moved his hips back into his love more, hinting for the golden man to move more rapidly and more powerfully. Again, Train complied and picked up the pace, feeling himself reaching his limit, but wanting to make sure Creed was the first to cum.

The silver man shouted again as Train hit his sweet spot over and over, feeling a wonderful warmth possess his body as he opened his eyes to try and see his cat's head next to his face. Train had latched his month back onto Creed's shoulder and bit it stronger than before, so all he could see was his beloved's glorious chocolate hair. That was enough to set his heart on fire as he buried his face into Train's magnificent locks. The law student gripped the counter fiercely, turning his knuckles white as he ran his other hand through his cat's hair aggressively.

"Train…" He moaned again and he grasped Train's chocolate locks earnestly. "Oh, Train… Faster…"

Train kept his mouth against Creed's shoulder and moved faster into his partner. He pressed his upper body harder against the silver man and squeezed his arms tighter as he plunged his member deep into his husband as fast as he could. The heat inside him was spiking wildly and he could tell Creed was experiencing the same sensations. He made sure to hit Creed's spot with every motion, relishing each cry the man let out.

As he was making love to Creed, he couldn't help but notice he was lasting longer this time. This had been the third time in the last day and a half they had sex and he knew his body was getting tired which made it hard for him to release.

The jury had still been at a stalemate, so the verdict was pushed back, once again, until tomorrow. This caused a plethora of emotions in both of the men. They were anxious, stressed, and unsure what their future would be together if the jury didn't give them the verdict they wanted, so the couple used each other's body to keep their minds distracted. They were also scared they might be forcibly separated tomorrow, so they wanted to have every bit of each other now.

Train was happy he was able to last longer now because it made all the pleasurable feelings linger longer, but he was concerned about Creed. He also made sure to use a generous amount of lube to make sure he wouldn't hurt his most likely sore partner. Despite Creed's tenderness, his silver partner couldn't keep his hands to himself. Train realized he must have opened the floodgates for Creed with their first time together and now his husband had an unquenchable thirst the cat continued to satisfy.

"Train!" The golden man's thoughts were brought back to the present as Creed shouted his name again. "Oh, God, Train! Don't stop!"

Train managed to laugh between his thrusts and pants of air as he sucked Creed's neck harshly. "I didn't plan on it…"

His voice was still a whisper as he was trying to make sure to concentrate on what he was doing. While he had learned where Creed's spot was, he didn't want to miss it with any of his movements, and that seemed more important to pay attention to than talking.

Creed could feel the indent of the counter already forming against his hand as he pulled Train's hair slightly. He knew he was about to cum, but he also didn't want his love to stop. If he was going to lose Train tomorrow, he wanted to savor every second with his beloved. With that thought in mind, he was able to hold it in a little longer, screaming his love's name again as he threw his head back.

Train saw Creed was trying to hold it in and decided he wasn't okay with that. He was ready to explode, but he refused to until his partner did. The cat moved his mouth away from Creed's shoulder and put his hands on the silver man's hips. This allowed him to move his partner back and forth against him even harder, still making sure to hit Creed's pleasurable spot every time.

Feeling Train's strong hand against his hips and diving deeper into him electrified Creed to a level he didn't know he could reach. He screamed vociferously, but still didn't want to burst. Creed needed to feel his cat inside of him for as long as possible. It was difficult, but Creed bit his lip against the feeling and forced it aside, hoping that would give him more time with Train as his beloved worked to get him to cum.

Seeing his partner still refuse to let go the cat growled quietly and gripped Creed's hips tighter, but not enough to hurt him. As he bounced his partner against him, he leaned forward a little, just enough that Creed could hear him. He was hoping if his partner heard his voice it would be enough to get him to release.

"Oh, Creed…" He kissed his ear gently. "You feel so good…"

Hearing Train's strong whisper in his ear had sent Creed over the edge. His cat was hitting his spot so passionately and moving so fast there was no holding it back anymore. When Train clutched his hips a little tighter, Creed finally shouted the golden man's name.

"TRAIN!" He exploded onto the kitchen cabinets in front of him, collapsing his head against the counter.

Train smiled and thrust a few more times before finally releasing his own seed into Creed, also shouting loudly as he exploded. He slowed down his motions inside his partner and leaned against an exhausted Creed. Train was gasping for air against his husband's back and removed his hands from Creed's hip, wrapping them securely around the silver man's waist. He held Creed in his arms as he caught his breath and felt his heart rate settle.

Creed's face had slipped a bit into the sink, so he moved back slightly so his cheek rested on the counter as he caught his breath. When he felt Train wrap his arms around his waist he smiled and sighed happily. The silver man weakly pushed himself up from the counter so he could lean back into his love.

"Oh, Train… That was so good…" He nuzzled his head into Train's shoulder and smiled deeply at the strong muscle he felt.

Train swallowed deeply and stumbled a little when Creed leaned back into him. He was beginning to realize how tired his body really was after their marathon of love making.

_If this is how tired I am, I can't imagine how he's feeling._

The cat decided to voice his concerns as he tightened his hold on the man slightly. He took a big breath of air before he spoke so his voice would actually come out clearly. "Are you **sure** you're okay? I know I'm exhausted, but you **have** to be sore by now."

Train had asked him several times if he was okay or if he was hurting and Creed said he was fine every time. The truth was, he was sore, but that minor pain was nothing compared to the ecstasy of feeling the love of his life inside him, giving him immense pleasure. It also didn't help that a part of him felt like he was never going to see Train again after tomorrow, so he wanted to get as much out of his love as possible.

"I'm fine, Love. Stop worrying about me." He felt Train move out of him and moaned sadly, wishing his cat could stay a part of him forever.

As soon as Train pulled away from his partner, Creed turned around and wrapped his arms around his neck. The golden man could only stare at his husband as he kissed his shoulder and chest eagerly. While his motions were weak, Train could feel the intensity behind his lips and just blinked at him. When Creed pressed his lips urgently against his own, the cat smiled and pushed him away a little.

"Creed… You need a break."

Creed shook his head wildly and latched back onto Train's mouth. The golden man sighed and pushed him away again. He gripped his partner's shoulders roughly and gave him a stern look.

"I mean it. You need to rest if you're going to make it through tomorrow. How much did you sleep last night?"

Creed pouted at his beloved's face, wanting to throw himself at Train again, but he controlled his urges. His cat was being serious, so Creed didn't want to upset him.

"Enough…" He frowned when he spoke and looked away from Train in shame.

Train sighed again and lowered his head. He could tell Creed was trying to avoid the question. "Creed… You're stressed and tired. You need to stop seducing me and go to sleep."

The silver man smiled seductively and trailed his fingers up Train's torso. "But I can't help myself, Love. You're too delicious to not want to eat…"

As he drank his cat in with his eyes, Train snapped his fingers in his face to get his attention back up.

"Eyes up here." The cat kept his face strict as he looked at his partner, then sighed when he was greeted with another frown from the smaller man. He rubbed his eyes in annoyance. "I know you're tired and probably starving, why won't you just admit it?"

He glanced at the clock and realized it was almost dinner time. While he had been able to sneak away from Creed to grab food since they came home from court, his partner hadn't eaten a thing since Sephiria gave them the update. It was obvious he was trying to use every minute he could to be with Train, but at this point it was at his own expense.

Creed whined and leaned into Train's chest. "Because I don't want our time together to end…"

Train felt his heart break when he said that and wrapped his arms around the other man's back. He was worried about it too, but being the optimist that he was, it was easier to think the best in a terrible situation. Life had taught Creed he couldn't be happy, so of course he only ever thought of the negative outcome.

He ran his fingers against Creed's back lightly, feeling goosebumps form on his partner's pale skin. "Creed… I know you're scared… But depriving yourself of basic necessities is only going to make everything worse."

He whimpered against Train's chest and clutched his chest tightly. "You're the only basic necessity I need…"

That made Train smile a little, but he put it away quickly so he could address his partner more seriously. "Creed. Stop it. You know I'm right."

Creed sighed and nodded his head, but didn't speak. He simply held onto Train tighter and kissed his chest again. Once more, he was trying to work his cat up so he could share another intimate moment with him. When Train pulled him away and gripped his shoulders squarely, he felt like sobbing.

"I don't want to lose you, Train…"

He stared into those golden eyes he adored so much and felt like he was going to fall apart. The idea of never seeing them light up a room again broke him. The idea of his love's beautiful orbs not being the first thing he saw when he woke up was unbearable. Creed had worked so hard and waited so long for Train to love him, and now that he did, he felt like he was going to lose him.

A loud sob escaped his control as he wrapped his arms tightly around Train's back. "It's not fair!" He buried his head deep into his cat's chest and let his tears flow freely. "I waited all this time to have you… Now that I do I know I'll die without you!"

Train felt like crying from the pain in his partner's heart. He hugged Creed as tight as he could and sighed deeply. The cat wanted to apologize, but Creed had already told him to stop doing that a thousand times. Seeing how unhinged he was right now, he didn't want to do anything to set the man off.

He gave Creed a few more minutes to let his feelings out before he moved his hands from his husbands back to his face. Train moved Creed's head up until their eyes met and gave him the most loving smile he could muster.

"Creed… I **promise** I won't be leaving you. We made a deal, remember? I won't leave you if you don't leave me."

Creed shook his head and choked back a sob. "You might not have a choice, Train. You can't stop them from tearing us apart."

The cat changed his smile to the cheeky one Creed was obsessed with. "No. I won't let them. If they try to take you away from me, I'll just steal you."

He saw the silver man smile a little and continued telling their dramatic escape story. "I'll throw you over my shoulder and karate chop or kick anyone who dares to stop me. We'll run away to another country where they'll never find us, shave our heads, and change our names."

Creed laughed between his sobs and smiled lovingly at his cat. "I like my hair… And my name…"

"Too bad. It's gone if we run away. It's better than the alternative, isn't it?"

Seeing Creed nodding his head happily, Train gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and caressed his cheek. "I'll never let them take you away from me, so you have nothing to worry about."

The silver man sighed blissfully at Train's kiss and fell back against his chest. Train ran his fingers along the man's back and hair for a few seconds, giving him more time to calm down.

Once Train believed he was relaxed enough, he pulled him away again and pushed him towards the exit of the kitchen. "Now... Go to bed."

Creed only took a few steps forward before turning back around and embracing Train tightly again. Once more, the cat tried to push him away, but the silver man was not having it. Each time Train tried to guide him away, Creed would turn around and refuse to move.

With a sigh, Train scooped his partner up, one arm underneath his knees while the other wrapped around his back and gripped his shoulder tightly. Creed yelped quietly as his cat lifted him effortlessly in the air and carried him out of the kitchen and into their bedroom. His arms were instantly around his beloved's neck as he buried his face deep into his shoulder.

When Train tried to put him down, Creed refused to let go. He tightened his hold on his love and kept his face firmly planted against him.

The golden man sighed again and removed Creed's hands from around his neck. Before he could move, the silver man reached out and grabbed him again, this time wrapping his arms firmly around his back and burying his face into his chest.

Train frowned down at the man and caressed his hair fondly. "Creed… You need to sleep and I need to eat. You've taken a lot out of me this last day and a half."

It was true. He was feeling completely dried out at this point. Train was really surprised anything was even able to escape him during their affair in the kitchen.

When Creed shook his head again, Train rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to think of what he could say to the man to let him go for just an hour. "Creed, I'm drained. I need to refuel. I'll come back soon."

Still, his husband did not move so he growled quietly and crawled into the bed next to him. As soon as he laid down, Creed clung to his desperately and snuggled his face as close as he could to his chest.

Train allowed the man to cuddle against him and felt a tinge of pain when he realized Creed still had a few tears falling from his eyes. He rolled over and wrapped his arms around Creed's back, holding him against his chest lovingly. The cat kissed the top of his partner's head and pressed his cheek against his silky hair.

Creed cuddled in as close as he could and nuzzled his head against his love. He could feel his eyes growing heavy, but tried to fight it as hard as he could. Train was right, he was exhausted, but he had been refusing to sleep because he wanted to be awake every minute he had with his beloved. If this was going to be their last night together, he was going to treasure every bit of it.

However, despite himself he began to drift off. Unable to fight his bodily needs anymore and feeling far too safe and warm in Train's arms, he fell asleep. Creed smiled and whispered Train's name one more time before finally succumbing to his peaceful, Train ridden dreams.

After seeing his partner had fallen asleep, Train sighed in relief and rested his head against the pillow. He still couldn't get over how exhausted he was physically, mentally, and emotionally. While he enjoyed sharing those intimate moments with Creed, he really needed a break. If they kept up this carnal marathon he was pretty sure he'd become a dry husk of nothing. Despite that, he couldn't get over how good it felt. Every time Creed offered it up, Train found it hard to turn it down.

_But we need to rest. Especially Creed. I know this is hard on me, but I can't imagine what it's like for him…_

He understood to an extent how his husband felt, but Train didn't share his pessimism, nor did he have to pine for someone for so many years only to have him ripped away once you finally got everything you wanted from them. And Train knew after their recent multiple erotic encounters, Creed finally had everything he ever wanted to be happy.

_And he's never been happy before… To finally know what that's like then have it taken away so harshly is worse than never having it at all._

At that moment, he realized how much he could sympathize with his husband. He remembered his parents and his childhood and how happy he was before they died. They loved him unconditionally and treated him like a special gift every day.

_And while I was being lovingly dotted on, Creed was being abused, neglected, or both. His life had been a dark tunnel he could never get out of and when he met me, it was like seeing the light at the end. And I know what a nightmare it is to have that light snuffed about before you barely stepped into it._

When his parents were killed, his happiness slipped away. Now that he thought about it, he didn't think he had felt that happiness again until he started his relationship with Creed. While his partner had been born in the dark tunnel, Train stumbled into it the moment his parents were taken from him.

_And I stepped out when I accepted Creed's love into my heart… And now that he finally has my love and is about to step out of the tunnel it's like there's a boulder waiting to fall and flatten him._

Train watched Creed sleep and frowned, trying to think of what he could do to make his partner stable enough to make it through the night and tomorrow. He ran his hand through Creed's hair and heard the man purr his name enchantingly. As he stared at his husband's shut eyes, something clicked in his head and he smiled sharply.

Slowly, he untied himself from Creed's small frame and slid to the end of the bed. When he heard the man whimper sadly, he thought quickly and put his pillow in front of Creed. He held his breath as he watched his partner, hoping Creed was asleep enough to not be able to tell it wasn't him.

He let his breath go when he saw Creed clutched the pillow tightly and smile happily. When he heard his partner say his name again, he knew it was a good enough substitute for now. Train pulled the blankets over Creed and kissed him gently on the forehead before changing his clothes and leaving the apartment. Knowing the pillow wouldn't work as a decoy for long, he ran out the door and hurriedly jumped on an upcoming bus heading into the city.

* * *

Creed woke up a few hours later and stretched disorderly. He felt like a new man as he opened his eyes, but then panic surged through him when he realized Train was not there.

Sitting up quickly, he looked around the room and felt his heart racing. "Train?!"

He jumped out of the bed and turned on the light, hoping that maybe it was just too dark to see his beloved. The light only confirmed his husband's absence and he had to swallow back a sob.

_Calm down. He's probably just outside. Don't panic._

When he opened their bedroom door his nostrils were greeted with a wonderfully delicious smell. It was then he realized how hungry he was, but frowned, still not seeing his beloved anywhere.

"Train?" He called again, hoping his beloved would pop out somewhere.

As luck would have it, he did. Creed smiled merrily when Train peaked his head out of the kitchen and practically skipped over to him. Train laughed at his partner, but accepted the hug he was given. Creed nestled nicely into his beloved's neck and breathed in deep.

"What smells so good?"

Train kissed the top of his head then pulled away. "Dinner!"

Creed blinked at their small table that lived in the kitchen. "Did you cook?!"

The cat laughed loudly and waved his hands. "Oh, God no! I picked this up on the way home."

Creed looked more confused as Train took his hand and led him to one of the table. "Home from where?"

"All will be revealed soon, just take a seat."

The table had their only table cloth laying on it along with one candle in the middle. Next to it was a small vase with a single red rose in it, making Creed feel nolgastic. His cat had even gone so far as to scatter a few petals across the table.

Then the silver man realized what Train was wearing. He was dressed rather nicely which was very strange for Creed to see. He absolutely adored when his cat dressed up, but he knew Train hated doing it. His beloved was wearing a dark red buttoned up shirt, one that Creed had said many times was his favorite because it brought out his cat's eyes and complimented his skin tone. He wore black slacks and black shoes, and Creed could tell he had made somewhat of an effort on his hair. It was still messy which the silver man also loved, but he could tell Train had at least attempted to brush it a little.

Creed found himself staring at his beloved wistfully, leaning his chin on his hand as he allowed his eyes to devour every inch of his cat. He sighed fervently, unable to stop himself from vocalizing how unbelievably marvelous Train looked.

"You look absolutely **stunning** , Train…"

The cat laughed as he poured Creed a glass of wine, knowing his partner enjoyed the beverage even if he did not. The only time he ever drank that specific alcoholic beverage was if he was permitted to have milk with it. Since that always disgusted Creed, Train contented himself with a glass of milk only and he smiled as he sat down across from his partner.

"You look like you slept well. Feeling better?"

Creed nodded, but Train could see his eyes were still lustfully glossed over as he stared at him. He wouldn't be surprised if the man heard him at all. Really, he might have just been agreeing to whatever Train said.

Wanting to test this theory, Train asked him a weird question. "I'm thinking about getting a tattoo across my face. What do you think of that?"

Creed nodded again. "Whatever you want, Love…"

The cat laughed and tried another one. "Or maybe dye my hair lime green. Do you think that'll look good with the new dalmatian pajamas I bought?"

Again, he nodded. "Anything for you, Train…"

Train leaned over and pinched Creed's cheek. The silver man yelped and rubbed the spot the cat attacked and frowned. "What was that for?"

"So you would actually pay attention to what I'm saying instead of just ogling me."

Creed shook his head and blushed. "Sorry, Train. You just look **so** good…" He then furrowed his brow as he thought about what he just said. " **Why** do you look so good?"

Train made sure to look offended at that statement. "Are you saying I need a reason to look good?"

Creed sputtered as he reached out to grab his cat's hand. "No! You always look amazing! I'm just wondering why you're so dressed up. Are we going somewhere? Should I get changed?"

The golden man laughed and kissed Creed's hand. "No, we're staying here. That's why I brought food."

Creed was still unconvinced and was about to push for more information, but Train interrupted him again by shoving a forkful of food in his mouth.

"Just shut up and eat. It'll make sense soon."

Their meal was pleasant and refreshing. They had been so busy and stressed with the trial and Train's recovery they hadn't had a minute to just sit and be with each other. While they had been intimate with one another many times over the last thirty-six hours, it was nice to just sit and talk over a good meal.

Creed smiled again as he teased his cat and was greeted with another forkful of food. Giggling brightly, the silver man did the same to Train, which made that cat narrow his eyes slightly as he tried to stab Creed's food with his knife.

"If you're gonna feed me your food then I may as well eat it myself." Train's mouth was full as he spoke, but Creed was able to understand him.

Creed laughed again and stole his love's plate completely. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to steal yours!"

Train jumped up from his seat to try and get his food back. "I don't think so! You got a nap, this is all I have to recover!"

The silver man smirked mischievously and scooped a bit of pasta sauce on his finger and dabbed his beloved's nose with it. "Then maybe you should have stayed with me and slept instead of leaving for food."

Train wiped his nose then threw a handful of spaghetti at his husband. "That's not all I got."

Creed frowned, but before he could question his cat, Train was standing and beginning to clean up the table. "Are you done?"

He blinked and nodded his head. What he had left on his plate had been sitting there for a while and Train's dish was completely empty, which meant they were both done. Creed removed the spaghetti from his shoulder that Train threw at him and stood to help his partner clean. He was immediately pushed back down by his love's strong hands and scolded.

"No. Sit. I got this."

Creed could only watch bewildered as his cat cleaned up their dishes. "Train, you hate cleaning."

The cat shrugged his shoulders. "But I know how to do it. I just want you to relax. You've been through a lot."

Creed frowned. "So have you… It's been a rough go for the both of us. And **you're** the one that's been in a coma in the hospital with a concussion."

Train laughed as he placed the last of their dishes in the sink. "Yeah, but I'm better now. We need to worry about you."

Creed was about to protest again, but found his vision was blocked by a piece of red velvet cake. He felt his eyes light up and his mouth water as his heart filled with a heavenly warmth.

The silver man looked at his cat gratefully. "My favorite…"

Train nodded and kissed his head quickly as he sat back down across from his partner with his own cake. "Of course. Anything for you."

Creed sighed dreamily as his beloved used his own words on him. They resumed their calm state as they ate their dessert and enjoyed each other's company. Creed couldn't take his eyes off his cat. He still couldn't get over how good Train looked and how romantic he was being. The candle was beginning to flicker out, but Creed could still see the flame sparkling beautifully in his beloved's rich, golden eyes.

Train noticed Creed had been staring at him again and chuckled. He reached out and grabbed his partner's hand and kissed it gently. The silver man sighed blissfully at the feel of his cat's lips against him and grabbed Train's other hand and pressed it against his cheek.

"I love you, Train…"

The golden man smiled and kissed Creed's hand one more time before standing to collect their plates again. "What do you think of the rose?"

He let his blue eyes drift to the flower and smiled wistfully. "It's beautiful, but it makes me feel sentimental."

"Why's that?" Train knew why, but he wanted to make sure Creed was distracted enough to not look at him.

The silver man sighed. "You know why…" He fingered the petals elegantly and smiled. "The roles are reversed now, though…"

Train smirked and moved behind Creed quietly. "This one is special, though. Take a closer look."

Creed looked at the rose curiously. "What do you mean?"

The cat held back a frustrated sigh when he saw the man did not pick up the rose. "Just take a closer look."

Creed moved closer to the flower and squinted, still unable to see anything. Finally, he leaned forward and took it from the vase. The top of it tipped slightly from the weight of something inside of it. Between the fully bloomed petals, Creed could see something silver and metallic. He reached his fingers inside to pick up whatever it was.

His heart stopped when he saw what it was. Nestled tranquility against the silky, red petals was a ring. The silver man's eyes widened as he heard Train move next to him. Creed turned to face his beloved, looking up, assuming his cat could be standing next to him. Instead, Train was down on one knee, smiling proudly.

"T-Train…? What's this?" His voice was shaking as he looked between the ring and his cat quickly, not sure what to do with the flood of emotions rushing through him.

Train could hear Creed's voice crack as he spoke and chuckled. "I know we're already married, but I wanted to give you this memory anyway. And don't worry about how much it costs. It's not the best jewelry in the world. I can make it up to you later when I have more time and money."

Creed couldn't speak. He tried, but no words left his mouth. The only thing his mind was capable of doing was holding the rose and the ring. He felt tears beginning to form in his eyes as he gazed into his love's eyes, relishing the touch of his cat's hand against his cheek.

Train smiled warmly and caressed his partner's cheek with his digits lovingly. "Creed… Will you marry me?"

The second those words left Train's mouth Creed threw himself at the man and wrapped his arms earnestly around his neck. He sobbed crazily as he nodded his head repeatedly.

"Yes!" Creed became a broken record as he said the word. He couldn't stop his brain from repeating the word over and over. This had never been something on his list of things he wanted from Train, but now that it had happened, he didn't know why it hadn't been.

Train smiled as his husband cried loudly against him. The cat ran his fingers through Creed's hair and kissed his silver locks tenderly. "Good thing we already are then."

Creed laughed between his tears and nodded his head again. When he lunged at Train his beloved was pushed back which positioned the silver man on his lap. Creed pulled his legs up so he could sit more comfortably on his cat as he moved his chest closer to Train's. There were a few more tears that fell from his eyes and as he nuzzled his head into his cat's neck and smiled blithely.

"Thank you, Train…"

Train caressed his hair a few more times before he pulled Creed away so he could take the ring from his partner and slip it on his finger. The cat then pulled his matching ring out of his pocket and tried to slip it on himself, but was stopped by Creed's lithe fingers as he grabbed it from Train and smiled brightly. Looking deep into his beloved's eyes, Creed kissed Train's hand then slid the jewelry onto his husband's strong finger.

The cat returned his smile and the look his partner gave him. Seeing that jubilant look in Creed's cerulean orbs, the cat felt his heart swell with adoration and he pressed his lips against his husband's. Creed responded immediately to the passionate kiss and deepened it instantly.

The cat moved his arms so they were around Creed's waist and pulled him closer. Creed was running his hands through Train's hair feverently, pressing his body eagerly against his beloved. Train moved his hands up Creed's shirt and against his back, rubbing the supple skin of his lower back.

As they embraced, they both felt the same wondrous warmth spread across their bodies. They had felt a heat similar to this before, but there was something more intense to this feeling. It was as if they reached another level of their emotions, and that feeling engulfed them both in a dreamy daze, one in which neither of them wanted to leave. As they kissed, the men felt themselves falling into a dream they prayed they would never wake up from.

They broke apart and gazed into each other's eyes again. Creed's fingers were still tangled in Train's hair and the cat's hands were massaging the silver man's lower back. Their minds thought the same thing, but Train was still worried his partner was sore.

"Are you sure, Creed?"

The silver man nodded enthusiastically and kissed his cat again. Train returned the gestures urgently, but pulled away again to make sure one more time. Creed rolled his eyes and kissed him deeply, then spoke in an amorous tone.

"Train, I'm fine. I'm the one that had a long nap. I'm more concerned if you have the stamina for it." There was a tinge of playfulness in his voice.

Train knew the man was just trying to entice him with a challenge, knowing he could never turn a challenge down. It worked quite well as the cat smiled and lifted him into the air gracefully.

"I've had time to refuel with food and milk. I'm ready."

Creed wrapped his arms around Train's neck and kissed him deeply, wrapping his legs around his beloved's waist. The golden man walked towards their bedroom with his partner in his arms, Train kissing him back cordially and placing him gently on their bed. He then crawled on top of Creed, never parting their lips as he ran his hands up the silver man's body.

Creed moaned joyously at the feel of his cat's hands against him. This was another role reversal as he was usually the one on top of Train, caressing and massaging every inch of his body that he could get his hands on. This didn't stop Creed from running his hands up and against Train's back and groaning extraordinarily at the feel of his cat's strong muscles.

Train's fingers traced the pale skin of his husband's chest and stomach lightly, trailing them down his torso until he reached his pants. The cat slipped his hand down Creed's sweatpants, the other continuing to rub his chest, and caressed his shaft exsquiently, smiling when he felt the man squirm at the feel of his hand.

With one smooth motion, Train pulled Creed's pants down and moved his hand swiftly up and down his member, pausing only momentarily as he teased Creed's tip with his fingers. The silver man gasped beautifully when he did that, which sparked a level of excitement Train didn't know he could reach.

Train pulled his lips away from Creed and slipped both his and his partner's shirt off then moved his kisses down the silver man's neck and to his shoulder. The cat slid his tongue down Creed's chest, stopping every so often at spots that earned a louder moan from his partner, reaching his stomach and then his hips. Train used his fingers to massage Creed's hips briefly and the silver man felt his breathing get faster as his beloved's lips moved closer to his sensitive area.

Creed grabbed his love's hair eagerly and helped guide Train's head lower. Train moved his head where Creed pushed him and took the silver man's hard member into his mouth. He hadn't performed his act on his husband yet, but with all the times Creed had sucked him off, he knew he'd be able to figure it out.

When Train's lips wrapped around his tip he gasped loudly and clutched his love's hair violently. Creed swallowed and moaned salaciously as his beloved twirled his tongue around his susceptible skin and bucked his hips a little into his beloved's mouth. Train spun his tongue one more time, then took his partner's member fully into his mouth.

Creed felt his chest rise and fall quickly when Train moved his head up and down his shaft, his fingers never leaving his cat's chocolate locks. He swallowed thickly when Train whirled his tongue up and down his member rapidly, trying to stop himself from pressing his hips further up and accidentally choking his cat.

Train tightened his lips then moved his head up and down a little faster, remembering what Creed's tongue had always done to him and copying the movements as best he could. When he heard his partner moan louder and shiver with pleasure, he knew he was doing a good job. He moved his head faster, feeling himself growing hard as Creed gasped his name quietly.

He continued moving his mouth against his husband as he reached to their nightstand and grabbed the lube. Train did his best to keep his rhythm against Creed as he greased himself up generously. Train wanted to make sure he was extra lubricated so his husband would be much easier to slide into.

Train moved Creed into his mouth a few more times before stopping and pulled his partner's legs up and around his waist. Creed went willingly, throwing himself up his cat and wrapping his lips around his love's neck as he hands knotted lustfully in Train's hair.

The golden man guided his partner's lower body above his erect member and slowly lowered him down. Creed gasped and moaned when he felt his beloved enter him. With how much they had done this, Creed was starting to get used to it. It didn't hurt nearly as much anymore and this time Train had oiled himself up so much that Creed barely felt sore from the motion.

Once Train was completely inside his partner, he waited a second for Creed to give him the go ahead. When he saw the silver man nod his head he moved his hips up and down slowly, making his motions mimic the gentle, yet passionate love he felt for the man he plunged deep inside. Creed felt the love and adoration emanating from his beloved and his heart wanted to drown in Train's sensational devotion.

Train's body swam in a sea of desire for the man on his lap he had never felt before. He knew he loved Creed, but what was surging through him felt beyond that. As he moved in and out of him, Train's heart swelled with an emotion that he knew could only be matched by Creed. He was drowning in the essence of the silver man and didn't want to be saved. Train wanted nothing more than to be one with Creed. With each thrust he made into the man, Train felt whole, as if he had never been complete before he discovered what it was like to be inside of Creed.

Creed cried out with each of his cat's movements, his body unable to comprehend the feelings coursing through him. His love for Train had always been unmatched, but as he felt his beloved moving in and out of him, he couldn't ignore the intense level of fealty his cat felt for him. With each motion his love made, Creed felt Train's passion surge through his body like a tsunami that threatened to wash away a city. Creed was more than willing to let the amorous water take him. In fact, he craved the waves that washed over him. He wanted to be swallowed up by it, knowing it meant he had Train's complete and utter fidelity.

They stared into each other's eyes, radiating a connection to one another only they could ever understand. With every thrust and every cry, they felt their hearts, minds, and bodies joined as one. In that moment, the rest of the world faded away, leaving the two men alone with their love making and they couldn't care less about the disappearing universe. As long as they had each other and their miraculously, passionate feelings, nothing else mattered. If tomorrow never came they wouldn't know, because in this hour all they knew were each other, their heated bodies, and unrelenting bond.

Train leaned his forehead against Creed's and moved quickly inside of him, gasping and moaning fervidly, cherishing every feeling coursing through him. "I love you, Creed…"

Creed bathed in his cat's golden gaze, his whole body flowing with so many layers of love he didn't know where his physical body began and his spiritual one ended. Hearing his beloved say those three words as he bounced him zealously on his lap, Creed's heart begged for this experience to never end. If he had one wish, it would be to pause this moment and stay in it forever.

"I love you, Train…"

Train was so lost in his husband's existence he didn't realize how fast he was moving Creed against him. At some point, he began bouncing Creed on his lap and thrusting into him venereally. He was hitting Creed's pleasurable spot on repeat, his body moving on its own as he immersed himself completely in his partner's being. When he realized how close he was to cumming, he kissed Creed vehemently and tried to push the feeling aside. Train always wanted to make sure Creed finished before he did, just so he knew his husband had received the level of ecstasy he intended him to reach.

As Train kissed him, Creed felt the warmth in his groin grow to an uncontrollably animalistic level. He shouted loudly into the kiss and clutched the back of Train's head earnestly. With a few more thrusts from his beloved he felt himself release as he cried his beloved's name as loud as he could. Creed then collapsed against his cat, smiling peacefully as Train finished inside of him.

It only took a few more motions for Train to cum, and when he did he shouted Creed's name passionately and kissed him deeply. Their lips stayed locked and their bodies remained as one after they had both finished, still not wanting to separate even after they had completed their love making.

Finally, they pulled away from each other's lips, but kept their faces close. They panted rapidly against one another, enjoy the feel of the other's breathes entering their lungs. However, they found they still hadn't had enough of each other and joined their lips once more, tangling their tongues together and holding each other close.

When they did pull away for good, Train smiled and ran his fingers through Creed's hair. The silver man purred fondly at his beloved's hand and returned his lavish smile.

"Oh, Train…" He nuzzled his body closer and kissed him delicately. "I'm not even sure where I went just now…"

Train laughed breathlessly and kissed his partner in return. "I think we went to another planet…"

Creed nodded and kissed Train again. "One where we had nothing to worry about except each other's bodies…"

The cat smiled and pressed his lips against Creed's cheek, then his neck, deciding to keep his lips there for a while as he felt his husband sighing heartily at his motions. He moved his lips across Creed's collar bone and to the other side of his neck, trailing his kisses along his other cheek then landing firmly again against his partner's delicious lips.

Creed pressed himself into Train and twirled his tongue gingerly around his cat's. Even after everything they just went through, he still couldn't get enough of his husband. However, when he felt Train hold back a yawn, he smiled and pulled away.

"You should go to sleep, Love."

Train wanted to object, but knew he'd be no better than how Creed was earlier if he did. Instead, he nodded and pulled himself out of Creed and laid down. The silver man watched his cat lay on the bed and shut his eyes resolutely, almost immediately falling asleep. Creed smiled blissfully and ran his fingers through his hair and against his face. When he heard Train snore he giggled and kissed him lovingly on the head.

Creed trailed the tips of his fingers along his beloved's body one more time before leaving the bed to take a shower. He felt renewed after the day's events and needed to make sure his body showed it.

Before he left their room he glanced once more at his cat, allowing himself to get lost at the image of his sleeping love for a few minutes. Creed still couldn't believe how lucky he was to finally have Train all to himself. If he ever had a doubt about Train's devotion to him, that moment erased everything. Even his cat's declaration of love under oath didn't compare to the passionate love Train just made to him. His body quivered with bliss as he replayed it in his head, his mind in paradise as he could still feel Train's body against him and his pulsing love inside of him.

Finally, he left his beloved to clean off. He was going to make sure it was quick so he could sleep next to his golden beauty soon, hoping they would remain that way until they found out their fate tomorrow.

* * *

Creed cuddled into his cat as close as he could as they sat on a bus that would drop them off just a few blocks away from the court house. Sven and Eve offered to pick them up and drive them, but they declined since they wanted to spend more time alone together. This also allowed them to sleep in as late as they could to make sure they were well rested when they received the verdict. Train ate breakfast before they left, but Creed did not. The feline man did not know his partner didn't eat, so he believed they were both physically ready to go.

Emotionally and psychologically, however, they were terrified. Train was still being as optimistic as he possibly could, but even he couldn't fight the dread growing in his heart. Creed was almost inconsolable. He kept running different scenarios in his head where they had no way to stay together. Those thoughts raced in his head non stop as he buried his head into his beloved's chest.

Train felt his husband whine inadvertently and dig himself further into his body. The golden man frowned and wrapped his arm around Creed's waist and pulled him closer. He used his other hand to caress his partner's hair and cheek lovingly as he kissed the top of Creed's head. The man whimpered again and dug his fingers into his love's suit.

Sighing, Train used this thumb to guide Creed's face up so he looked him in the eyes. "Creed, it's going to be okay. I promise."

Creed nodded and tried to smile, hoping that would convince his cat enough that he believed him. However, the apprehension in his heart remained and he knew Train could see it.

Train rubbed his thumb against Creed's chin and smiled that smile he knew always made his partner melt. "I love you, Creed. I won't let them take you away."

He could tell Creed was about to object, so he stopped him by kissing him deeply. Creed swooned and leaned into the gesture, moving his hips so they were pressed against Train's and pulled his beloved by his suit down so he could plunge his tongue further into his husband's mouth.

Train squeezed Creed's waist tighter and used his other hand to continue massage his cheek, allowing his partner to take as many liberties with his mouth as he wanted. After a few more minutes, Train stopped the kiss, but kept his face close, making sure their lips touched when he spoke.

"In case you didn't notice, I didn't put my dress shoes on. I'm ready to run away with you if necessary." He smirked wildly as Creed looked dreamily into his eyes.

Creed smiled when he felt his heart light on fire and kissed his cat again. They were almost at their destination, so he wanted to get as much out of his beloved before they got there. The couple continued their gentle caresses and fond kisses until they heard the bus announce they were about to arrive. Train tried to pull away to stand up, but Creed latched on firmly and kept their kiss going.

Laughing, Train wrapped his arms around his husband's back and lifted him in the air slightly, bringing him to the aisle on the bus and setting him down gently. He let Creed's mouth stay against his as he did this, but when he set him down he pulled away and grabbed his partner's hand so they could leave the bus before it pulled away.

However, when they stepped outside, Train pulled Creed against him again and kissed him deeply once more. As the bus pulled away, it was replaced by a car holding their attorney. Sephiria sighed as she saw the two making out in front of the courthouse.

"Can you two not keep your hands to yourselves for even a day?" Her voice was sarcastic, but kind. There was a part of her that hoped a juror or even the judge saw them embracing so authentically.

Neither man stopped what they were doing to address her, since they found each other more important than the woman standing behind him. Train even put a finger up to Sephiria while his other arm stayed wrapped securely around Creed's waist, making sure their kiss did not end. He knew this gesture would aggravate the woman, but he didn't care. Creed tasted too good to pull away from.

Sephiria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for them to stop. She looked around, hoping someone would see their grand display and smirked when she saw Mako's car pull up with Edo and Clark inside. The men exited the car and noticed Creed and Train's position. Clark didn't care at all as he walked up the steps, checking his phone as he left Mako and Edo to themselves.

The tall blonde could tell Edo was growling and clutching his fists as Mako tried to guide him inside. He snickered to herself, knowing what the couple was doing could not be faked. In fact, she was starting to wonder if they even knew where they were or where they were supposed to be. Or, maybe they knew all too well the answer to those questions that's why they refused to part.

Mako finally got Edo to move inside and she then saw her clients' friends approaching. Sven and Eve were holding hands while Jenos and Rinslet appeared to be in some kind of fight. She didn't know them well, but it seemed like they were always fighting. Despite their constant arguing, it was clear they loved each other. Sephiria brushed it off as something they were just into and it was none of her business.

As they walked closer, she gestured to her necking clients desperately. "Little help?"

Sven and Eve rolled his eyes as Rinslet smirked coyly. Jenos laughed loudly and waved his hand in the air as he spoke. "You got a hose?"

Sephiria chuckled and shook their hands as they got closer. After they finished his greetings, she turned back to the men who had not stopped and cleared her throat loudly. That still didn't work, so Eve stepped over to them and pulled Train's hair lightly. The golden man yelped quietly as he was pulled away from his husband and frowned down at the small blonde.

"What's the big idea, Little Princess?"

Eve rolled her eyes, but Train could tell there was still a playfulness behind her smile. "You know what you were doing. Now's not the time to get on your lawyer's nerves."

Train glanced at Sephiria who looked frustrated. The cat smiled cheekily and waved at her. "My, bad, Sephiria. I got carried away."

There was one point when he was kissing Creed to annoy the woman, but he had lost himself in his husband after that moment had passed. He looked down at his partner who was still pressed against his chest. Creed nuzzled his cheek into his beloved's shoulder and held onto his shoulders tightly. It seemed while Train had noticed the world around him and remembered where they were, the silver man refused to accept reality and chose to instead stay attached to his beloved.

Train smiled and guided his partner's head up to see him. He could tell Creed was holding back tears and caressed his cheek fondly, chuckling when his husband purred into the motion.

The cat made sure his eyes were serious, but loving when he spoke to the silver man. "Remember what I said, Creed?"

Creed starred in his love's flawless amber orbs and smiled adoringly. "My footwear matches yours."

Train laughed and kissed Creed on the head, ignoring the confused looks from his friends as he held his husband's hand tightly and walked into the court house. The cat decided he wasn't going to let of Creed at all in case they needed to run. In fact, he wrapped his arm around the man's waist as they stepped into the building, prepared to lift him up and over his shoulder if need be.

As they walked into the room, they saw all the faces of their past. Baldor was sitting in the back, distracted by something on his phone, but took a second to wave hello at the couple as they entered the room. Train noticed Aimi, Emma, and William were sitting next to each other, holding hands as if for support. The cat smiled at them when he passed by, making sure they saw the confidence in his eyes.

Tanaka was back as well. While she didn't testify this time around, she wanted to be there for her two ex-students. Train locked eyes with her as she smiled kindly, nodding her head a little as she watched them walk away.

Finally, Train saw Oliver sitting towards the front. The small man looked very nervous and was holding a box of tissues. When he noticed Train was looking at him, he jumped slightly and blushed violently. His eyes fell to the cat's arm wrapped around Creed and frowned deeply, looking away quickly to avoid getting hurt by their relationship again. Train felt guilty at that fact, but did not lessen his hold on Creed. While he didn't like hurting Oliver, he knew the man's emotions were not his responsibility. Still, he was going to try and make it up to him later by putting a friendship between them back on the table.

Train and Creed took their spots at the prosecution's table and watched as the jury was brought in. Even as they sat, Train did not let go of Creed and Creed did not let go of him. When they stood as the judge walked in, Train took a deep breath and noticed Creed was shaking against him. The cat squeezed him a little tighter and glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. It was a quick look, but Creed was able to read his beloved's thoughts and smiled. He needed to be strong… But also ready to run.

The judge sat and called for everyone else to do the same, then immediately addressed the courtroom.

"I know it's been a long journey, but we've finally arrived at the day. It's been difficult and we've heard some very passionate and tragic stories, but now that all comes to an end." She turned to the jury and nodded. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, your honor." A young woman stood and handed two envelopes to the bailiff.

The man took them and handed them to the judge. She did not open them yet and spoke to the room full of people one more time. "One of the reasons we pushed the verdict back more was based on the jury's want to sentence the men separately. These were originally two different cases that were combined due to a supposed connection made by the defense."

Mako clenched his fists at that statement and Edo growled quietly. Looking back now, they knew that was a bad move, but there was nothing they could do about it now.

She read the verdict in both envelopes, nodded, then handed him back to the bailiff who gave them back to the woman who was still standing.

"With that in mind, could the jury please read the verdict for Officer Clark's case."

The woman nodded and held the paper in front of her. "For the charges of reckless endangerment and attempted manslaughter, we find the defendant not guilty."

Creed's whole body shook as he heart froze when they read that verdict. He stepped closer to Train who he could tell was preparing himself to run as he held onto his husband tighter. As if sensing their urge to flee, Sephiria leaned over to them while the court mumbled their surprise at the verdict.

"Don't fret just yet. This isn't surprising. He wasn't trying to shoot Train, he was trying to shoot Dante. Both officers testified to that even though they were adding in that Creed caused more chaos by showing up and attacking them. That was the one consistency on both sides, so I'm not shocked they found him not guilty."

Seeing they were still a bit panicked, she tried something else. "Edo is the bigger threat here. Clark hasn't shown danger or malice towards Train personally. This is actually good for our case. They were probably at a stalemate because they didn't want to convict Clark, but knew Edo was guilty."

Train looked at her when she said this, took another breath and nodded. Creed didn't hear anything she had to say. He was clinging to Train perilously and kept his eyes forward, trying to stop himself from screaming out or sobbing loudly. The silver man unknowingly held his breath until they announced Edo's verdict.

The judge banged her gavel to get order in the court then addressed Clark. "I hope you use this as a lesson, Officer Clark. And I hope your captain keeps this in mind in the future as well." She eyed the captain sitting in the audience who sat up straight and nodded sternly.

She turned back to the jury. "And as for the charges against Officer Edo?"

Again, the woman nodded and read the next piece of paper. There was a long list of charges made against him, so she didn't bother reading every single one. The verdict they made was the same for everything, so there was no need to read the list.

"In the case of Officer Edo, we find the defendant… Guilty of all charges."

Train breathed out loudly as the courtroom erupted with various levels of emotions that landed between the negative and positive spectrum. The cat felt his friends slapping his back and shoulders happily, but he was shaking at the results. He was happy beyond belief, but also felt like he couldn't move. All he could do was gawk at the judge and jury in front of him, not even feeling as Sephiria grabbed his shoulder and squeezed tightly.

When he finally regained his senses he turned to Creed to celebrate with his husband. However, he noticed how pale the man's face was. While Creed had naturally pale skin, the whiteness in his pigment was unusual. Train could also see he was shaking, but it didn't seem like it was out of joy. It was as if his body was fighting to stop something from happening.

Train frowned and reached a hand out to his husband, wondering if maybe Creed had misheard the verdict. "Creed…?"

Just as he reached his partner, Creed's eyes fell back into his head and his knees gave out from under him. Train acted instinctively and leapt out to catch his husband. More gasps exploded throughout the room when they noticed Creed had fainted and Train clutched him hysterically in his arms.

"Creed!" He shouted as the man's upper body fell backwards, Train's arms wrapped around his waist tightly as he shook his partner gravely. "Creed! Wake up!"

He moved one of his hands so it was behind Creed's head and propped him up a little. Train barely heard the judge banging her gavel as she called for order, nor did he hear his friends or the rest of the people in the room's panicked and worried shouts. All he saw was Creed's shut eyes and limp body and his ears heard a faint ringing sound.

Next thing he knew, someone was attempting to take Creed out of his arms. Train refused to let that happen and he clutched the man as tight as he could. He patted his partner's cheeks desperately, trying to get him to wake up.

"Creed, come on, wake up! The verdict was good!" He was practically shouting as he spoke, then pushed away the medics that tried to get to him.

When Creed's eyes fluttered open Train sighed in relief. The silver man reached his hands out and searched for his cat, clutching at the air until he met the fabric of his partner's shirt. He weakly pulled himself up so he could see his love's face, Train's powerful arms helping him sit up a little.

"T-Train…?" He put his hands on either side of Train's face and tried to catch his breath. "Wh… What happened?"

Train laughed through tears and kissed him profoundly. "We won, Creed." He pulled the silver man against his chest and squeezed him tightly.

"We won…"

* * *

They didn't stay for the sentencing since the medics wanted to get Creed out of there. However, since he would not let go of Train, the cat had to carry his stubborn, silver partner. He didn't mind, since he had done it many times in the past. It wasn't like he was incapable of moving Creed. Plus, he also didn't want to let go of Creed. Now that they received the good news, Train never wanted to let go of him.

Train handed Creed another bottle of water Eve had brought them as he regained his composure. All of their friends, including Baldor, followed the couple out to make sure Creed was okay. The medic checked his pulse and said he was going to be fine, but stuck around a little longer to make sure they were right.

"How much has he eaten the last few days?" A man kneeling on the ground with one hand on Creed's wrists looked at his watch as he questioned the patient's husband.

Train sighed and rubbed his partner's shoulder. "Not much… He's been so stressed from the trial he barely ate or slept. I told him he needed to, but he refused. He did have a big dinner last night. And breakfast this morning."

"Actually…" Creed had his head rested on his beloved's chest. He lifted his eyes slightly so he could see his cat's face and frowned. "I… Didn't eat this morning… I had a glass of water, that's it."

Train sighed in annoyance and wanted to shake the man, but knew he wouldn't be able to handle that right now. Creed felt like crying when he saw his husband giving him a frustrated look and lowered his eyes, burying his face into Train's shoulder.

"I'm sorry…." He used the hand the medic was not holding to clutch Train's knee apologetically.

Train brushed his words away and kissed Creed's head. "I told you to eat…" The cat had his arm around his partner's shoulder and pulled Creed a little closer so he could rest his face on top of his husband's hair.

The medic interrupted them both. "So, the only thing you've eaten in the last three days was dinner last night?"

Creed nodded, but did not take his face away from Train's body. The medic took his hand away and stood. "Your husband's right. You need to eat."

"It was a big meal… And nothing else would stay down…" Creed's voice was muffled and sad as he spoke to the medic.

"But you didn't even finish it! And you heard the man, that's not enough to sustain you for three days. Especially with all the stress we've been under."

Creed flinched a little at his beloved's angry voice. "I'm sorry, Love…"

"Well, you should be okay. Like your husband just said, you've been through a lot emotionally lately, so your body probably collapsed from relief after the verdict was read. The fact that you've barely eaten or slept didn't help, so get some rest and food."

He looked at Train when he said this, since he knew he was more likely to keep that promise than Creed was. The cat nodded against Creed's hair and smiled.

The man smiled and walked back into the courtroom. Train sighed again and leaned his head back against the wall behind him. He shut his eyes and smiled peacefully, happy this was all over. At this point, he barely cared what the sentencing was. He was just happy he wouldn't be forced away from Creed. That was all that mattered to either of them.

Creed rolled himself over a little so he could wrap his arms around Train. He scooted closer, putting one of his arms on top of his love's as he kept his face deep in Train's chest. The silver man sighed blissfully and nuzzled his face into his cat's hard muscle, feeling the rest of the world slip away as he encased himself in his beloved. Train chuckled at his partner and wrapped both arms around him, kissing the top of his head again, then resting his cheek on Creed's silver locks.

Sven was about to say something to them, but Eve elbowed him gently to get his attention. The green man noticed she was signaling they should leave the men alone and he nodded, then walked down the hallway with her. Baldor took the hint as well and walked after them, but Jenos was about to take a seat on the bench next to them. Rinslet grabbed his shoulder and led him down the hallway after their friends, ignoring his complaints as she did so. They all decided Train and Creed needed a minute to enjoy each other's company after receiving the good news. There was also something they had planned for the men that they needed to discuss.

Train hardly noticed they left and Creed didn't notice at all. They were too tired, too happy, and too relieved to care about anything except each other. Creed pressed his face against Train's chest again and pulled his legs up on his beloved's lap. Train felt the man trying to climb into his lap and helped him out by using one arm to slip behind his knees and pull him up. Creed cooed when Train did this and curled up against his partner.

"We didn't have to run…" Creed whispered to his cat, the smile never leaving his face.

Train laughed. "That's right. We didn't. But there was a minute I almost did."

Creed nodded. "I know. I saw you shuffling your feet towards the door. I thought you were going to throw me across the room and out the door there for a second."

"You're one to talk. You were pretty much climbing on top of me after we heard Clark's verdict." Train ran his fingers through Creed's hair and kissed his head again.

The silver man giggled and looked at his beloved. "And then I fainted."

The feline man laughed loudly and flicked Creed's forehead. "That's right. And now we need to get food in your stomach. Like I've been trying to do for the last three days."

Creed's smile changed from playful to seductive suddenly. "I'd rather you put something else in me…"

Train rolled his eyes and pinched his husband's cheek. "Not until you've eaten. Eaten **food** , that is. Get your mind out of the gutter."

The law student frowned, then buried his face back into his love. "That'll never happen as long as I'm near you."

Sephiria exited the room and looked exhausted, but proud. She turned to face her clients, who were for once looking at her instead of each other. The tall woman smirked and stepped in front of them.

"Wow, both your eyes are on me for once. I've been fighting for this mutual attention since the case started, but now that I have it I don't know what to do with it."

Train smiled and grasped his husband closer. "It's hard to look at anyone else when your husband is as handsome as this guy is."

Creed blushed and leaned the side of his head against his love, purring and cuddling closer to Train, then addressed the woman. "What's the sentence?"

She laughed to herself at the man's eagerness to get straight to the point. "It's not the best situation, but it's still good."

Seeing men continue staring at her, she continued. "For all the charges placed against him, the total sentence is four years in prison with possibility of parole and early release with good behavior. He also is immediately being terminated from his job."

Train felt a bit of rage and narrowed his eyes. "That's it? That's all he got?"

Sephiria put her hand up to stop him from getting too upset. "Train. We got him. With how explosive his temper is, there's no way he's going to be released early or qualify for parole. Added to that, he's a cop going to prison. He's **not** going to do well and he'll never work on the force again."

"But what about William, Aimi, and Emma? Where's their justice?" Train understood what she was saying, but still wasn't satisfied.

"That's actually what took me so long to come out. All three of them want to file charges against him. I've also received a call from another victim who wants to as well. And there are more victims than just that. I expect to get more calls in the near future." She put her strong hand on Train's shoulder and smiled nobleily. "You started a movement against the monster, Train. You should be proud of yourself."

Train smiled at the woman. He did feel a swell of pride rise in his chest and as he felt Creed snuggle against his chest, he was reminded once more of how fortunate he was. The cat felt the ring on his finger and touched it lightly, feeling his love for the man on his lap rush to his heart, causing it to beat a little faster.

His gaze turned to his husband, who didn't seem to care about anything happening around them except for Train. The golden man ran his hand against his partner's cheek, causing Creed to smile deeply. Train caressed his cheek for a little, grinning wider as the silver man stared longingly into his eyes. The cat gave him a quick kiss, then looked back at their lawyer.

"Was Edo brought to the holding cells already?"

Sephiria nodded, then cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

Train smiled at her, then back at his husband. Creed was also giving him a curious look, and he chuckled at the man, keeping his hand against his cheek, caressing it fondly. "I…. Think I need to finish business with him."

Creed widened his eyes and shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Train's finger.

"Creed, don't worry. I'll be okay." He turned to Sephiria again. "I need closure."

The tall blonde was a weary about this and voiced her concerns. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. If they hear you willingly went to see him, that might stir the pot again…"

"Or, it'll do the opposite." Train felt Creed still pouting in his arms, but didn't look at him. Instead, he continued rubbing his face and running his fingers through his hair. "If anyone still really believes I'm being controlled by Creed, there's **no way** he'd let me go see Edo after the trial ended."

Sephiria thought about that, then sighed. "If you really feel like you need this… I'll take you to him."

Train smiled gratefully, then looked back at his husband's pitiful face. "Creed… Everything will be fine. I promise."

He turned to Creed and used his thumb to caress his lips, the silver man kissing the digit as he did so, then moved his other hand to wrap around his back to pull him closer for a deeper kiss. Train held his partner against his body and lips for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of Creed against him. The cat could feel himself beginning to get lost in the embrace and pulled away unwillingly. It was harder to do so when he saw the desperate look in Creed's eyes.

Train pulled his husband's hand to his lips and kissed the finger that had his ring on it, reminding Creed of their love, their relationship, their promise, and their bond. He hoped his husband realized what he was trying to do when he kissed it a second and a third time, never taking his golden eyes away from Creed's blue ones.

"I told you I would never leave you. I'll be fine, Creed. Trust me."

Creed smiled cordially at his beloved, touching his thumb to his wedding ring when Train stopped his kisses. He nodded and kissed his love one more time, pressing their foreheads together as he spoke.

"I know, Love. I'll wait here for you."

* * *

Sephiria walked him towards the back of the courtroom quickly, wanting to get this over with. Train followed behind closely, trying to plan in his head what he was going to say to his attacker. He had a general idea, but he didn't want to be there long, so he was thinking about how he could phrase their conversation so not only would it not be long, but he would be in control the whole time.

As they approached, Train felt himself growing a little nervous. With every step, he knew they were getting closer to the man that had given him PTSD. The man that had tormented him for almost two years and tried to get him taken away from his husband. The man who hurt him on an emotional level he didn't think was possible.

Finally, Sephiria stopped at a door and turned to face him. "He's in a cell in this room." She looked Train up and down uneasily, then settled on his eyes, giving him a stern look. "Are you sure?"

Train took a big breath and nodded. Sephiria opened the door for him and the cat walked past. She offered to go in with him, but Train said he needed to do this alone. He didn't want Edo to think he was still so scared of him that he needed the protection of his lawyer. Besides, he knew there were cameras in the holding cells, plus Edo was behind bars. With both those security measures in place, Train didn't think he needed a babysitter there too.

When he stepped into the room, his eyes immediately landed on the caged ex-officer. He was sitting on a bench in the back of his cell, head in his hands as he leaned forward on his seat. Train hesitated slightly, but when he rubbed the ringer on his finger, he felt confidence and walked in front of the cell, staring down the man who had caused him nothing but pain.

As soon as he stepped into Edo's view, the man raised his head and looked Train up and down. There was something about the look that made him feel like a piece of meat cooked specifically for Edo, but he brushed it aside and folded his arms across his chest.

"Edo…" His voice was harsh and he narrowed his eyes.

"Heartnet…" The ex-cop tried to make himself sound intimidating, but Train could hear that many levels of emotions he was feeling. It was hard to pinpoint which emotions were the strongest, but the cat did not care.

Train smirked, unable to fight the joy he felt seeing the man behind bars. "You look cozy."

Edo glared at the golden man, then noticed the ring on his finger. "I see you've gone full in with that lawyer of yours…"

Train tilted his head in confusion, then noticed where Edo was looking. His smirk widened as he lifted his hand up, spreading his fingers so he could see the ring better.

"Yup. I bought us matching rings last night. They're not the best quality, but I'll make it up to Creed later."

Edo rolled his eyes. "What is it about that guy you're so… attracted to?"

The tone of voice Edo was using was a bit alarming for Train. He sounded angry and jealous, but also genuinely curious. As if he really wanted to know, as if knowing would fix anything that had happened.

Train rolled his eyes and chose not to give him anything to work with. "I love him."

"Why?" Edo asked quickly, his voice holding the same tone as before.

Train glared at him. "I love him." He refused to give him any more than that.

Edo scoffed and leaned back against the wall behind him. "He's weak and small. I don't even know how he can handle you."

The cat's glare hardened. "Have you ever even had someone **want** to be with you willingly? Or have you forced every sexual encounter you ever had on the other person?"

The ex-officer returned the glare and even added a snarl to it. "They all wanted it…"

"Sure… Just like I did?"

"Yes."

The way Edo looked at him was terrifying. Both his face and his tone of voice showed that he truly believed that. The idea that someone like that had not only been roaming the streets for so long, but had the power and connections of a cop was horrifying. This man really believed his own story. He lied to the point where he didn't know what the truth was anymore.

That thought made Train uncomfortable, and he felt himself backing up just a little. "You really need help. I hope you get it while you're in here."

"Oh, so you do care?" He smirked at the cat, enjoying the distressing looks Train was giving him. He could feel himself getting a little excited and stood, walking over to the bars of the cell, gripping them tightly as he tried to get a better look at his prey.

Train growled at him, then spat his response. "I'm sure that's what you're going to convince yourself."

"Then why are you here? Why else would be here unless you care about what happened to me?"

Train sighed, then ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. This sick man was going to tell himself whatever he wanted to feel better, but Train wasn't here for Edo. He was there for himself and for Creed. The cat needed to say what he was going to say so he could move on with his life with his husband without the man behind the bars haunting his nightmares. If he didn't say it now, he might never get the chance again.

"I wanted to thank you."

Edo blinked at Train's words. "What?"

Train smiled. "I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you and Clark, I wouldn't have realized how lucky I am. I've been so fortunate to have a man like Creed love me so much, and I never really saw it until all this happened."

Edo growled again. "I could have given you what he's given you."

The cat actually laughed at that statement. "No. No you couldn't. No one could." He took a step forward, the unease he felt when he initially entered the room being replaced with tenacity. "Creed is the only person who was ever able to pass my defenses."

Edo rolled his eyes again and took his hands away from the bars. "Whatever…" He walked away and back to the bench.

Train's smirk remained as he continued his point. "If it wasn't for you, I might not have realized that I loved Creed. And I wouldn't have shared all these intimate moments we've had since I learned how I felt about him. And trust me, lying with Creed in bed has been the best experience and given me the best sensations of my life."

He knew he didn't need to hint at the fact that he's had sex with Creed, but he wanted to see the man's reaction. Seeing Edo's eyes burn with fury, he grinned and finished his statement.

"So… Thank you."

Edo was angry and wanted Train to know it. He stormed back over to the bars, gripping them tightly again, leaning forward so his face was pressed aggressively between the bars.

"It's only a couple years I'll be in here… I'm not done with you yet. Not until I get what I want from you."

Train laughed again. "Did your lawyer not tell you?" Seeing the confused look on his face, the cat elaborated. "There's more charges coming your way. I opened the floodgates… and now the tsunami is coming…"

He enjoyed watching Edos' face drain of color.

"That's all I needed to say. Now that I've said it, I'm ready to do the cliche thing and walk into the sunset with the man I love."

He turned to leave, but was stopped by Edo once more.

"Wait, Train!"

The use of his first name threw him off, and he turned around to look at the desperate man.

Edo stared at him for a minute, then spoke in a quiet voice. "...Did you really never care?"

"Did you?" Seeing the man was about to respond, he turned again, interrupting the ex-cop's words with his own. "You won't get in the way of my happiness. I won't let you. I won't let you ruin what I have with Creed." He looked back at Edo one more time, scowling as he did so. "I won't let **anything** ruin what we have."

Edo sputtered angry words at him which Train ignored. He knew the prisoner was just trying to say whatever he could to get him to turn back around. Train didn't care. His point was made and he had no further business with the man.

Even when he reached the door, he did not turn around. He felt like a new man as he walked away from his attacker, confident he was never going to see the man again. And even if he did, Train now was sure he could handle him.

As he walked out of the room, he ran into his captain. Kanon was apparently on his way to see Edo as well, and it was impossible for Train to ignore him. Not that he really wanted to. He knew this was another man he needed to speak to, but for different reasons.

Kanon stopped in front of him, making sure the cat couldn't pass him without talking to him. "Officer Heartnet."

"Captain…" Train stood straight out of habit, but then slouched slightly when he realized that it soon wouldn't be necessary. After everything that had happened, the cat knew the conversation they needed to have and now seemed like as good of a time as any.

"Listen… Capitan, I-"

"Stop." The man said harshly, putting up a hand to prevent him from talking. "Before you say anything more… You're fired. Effective immediately."

Train gawked at the man, unsure of what to say. He was going to quit, but Kanon had beat him to the punch. Just as he was about to protest, the man interrupted him again.

"You will get your severance package in the mail in a few weeks. That should give you enough time to find a new job and your husband time to graduate and find a law firm to work at."

Train's gawking did not cease when he said that. Suddenly, it occurred to him what his ex-captain was doing. He smiled knowingly, and nodded his head.

"Thank you… Sir."

Kanon nodded in return and continued towards the door that held Edo behind it.

"Sir?"

Train's voice stopped him from walking in as he turned to face the ex-cop once more.

"What's… What's going to happen with Clark?"

Kanon stared at him for a minute, not sure how to answer the question without starting a whole conversation with the feline man.

"...Without getting too into it… He will be dealt with appropriately." Seeing Train wasn't too happy with that response, he tried again. "Clark has been suspended until further notice… Or until we figure out what to do with him…"

Train nodded at that. He didn't expect the man to be let go just like that, but he was happy to see they were at least looking into his future on the force. It meant he had made somewhat of an impact on the system, even if it was small. That was more than enough for him for now. He couldn't change everything over night.

When Train smiled at him, Kanon nodded again. "Have a good life, Heartnet."

He walked into the other room, leaving Train to muse about their conversation momentarily. The cat eyed at the closed door contentedly, beginning to feel more at peace. "You too…"

* * *

When he entered the main hallway of the courthouse, Train was immediately greeted by Creed leaping into his arms, asking him a million questions. The cat simply kissed his enthusiastic partner to shut him up, telling him he would talk to him about it later. Right now, he wanted to get food into Creed's system. He was happy to see him holding an empty bag of peanuts, thanking Sephiria since she knew Creed wouldn't have gotten those for himself.

Train tried calling their friends to see where they went, but none of them were answering. He even tried calling Baldor, but the man was also not returning his messages. The idea that they might have left without saying goodbye upset him, but he figured they might have just wanted to get home. Train and Creed had kept them away from their lives long enough.

As they were looking up the bus schedule to get them back to their apartment, Sephiria stopped them and walked them to her car. The men tried to refuse her offer, but she wasn't taking no for an answer. She was intent on taking them home, and they knew it was useless arguing with her. However, as they drove, both Train and Creed realized they were not heading to their apartment.

"Um, Sephiria? You missed our turn like… five turns ago…" Train was looking out the window.

The lawyer looked in her mirror and smirked. "No. I know exactly where I'm going. Just shut up and let me drive."

Train groaned and slumped in the back seat. "But, Sephiria, I'm hungry! And Creed needs to get more in his stomach than peanuts."

Creed turned to his cat and smiled. He didn't think he'd ever get over Train showing so much concern for him. The silver man looked down at their hands that held on to each other tightly, and rubbed his fingers against Train's. His blue eyes rested on their matching rings, his mind drifting back to the other night when Train had pointlessly, yet romantically proposed.

"Sephiria, if we're not going home, could you at least tell us where we're going? Or how long we'll be?" He used his other hand to rub Train's inner thigh, his fingers delicately running along his love's muscular leg, hovering subtly above the sensitive organ between his legs. "I'd really like to get home and rest…"

Train squirmed at his partner's touch and eyed him warningly. He glanced at Sephiria, making sure she didn't see what Creed was doing, then looked back at his partner. The silver man was smirking teasingly at him and Train moved his partner's hand to his knee.

This didn't deter Creed as he slid his hand back up Train's knee and to his thigh again, this time slipping his hand between his beloved's legs and massaging it quickly. The golden man jumped as he grabbed Creed's wrist and pushed him away again.

Creed giggled quietly, having fun making his beloved uncomfortable. Of course he wasn't going to do anything to Train in the backseat of their lawyer's car, but his cat was too cute not to mess with. The silver man used his other hand to try and molest Train again. This time the cat inadvertently yelped, but bit his tongue in enough time that it wasn't very loud. Train grabbed his other hand and glared at the man.

Train didn't speak, but mouthed for Creed to knock it off. The silver man had the audacity to wink at him, which made Train narrow his eyes. However, when he saw Creed's playful smirk, he knew his partner was just messing with him and sighed in annoyance. He fell right into his husband's trap.

"Hands to yourself. We're almost there." Sephiria didn't see everything that was happening, but she saw the disgruntled looks on Train's face and had an idea that Creed was teasing him. "And to answer you questions, Creed: No, I'm not telling you where we're going and I don't know how long we will be."

Train was still glaring at Creed, but he looked at Sephiria as he spoke. "Will there be food?"

The lawyer rolled her eyes. "Yes. There will be **a lot** of food."

The cat smiled at her in the mirror, but she laughed when she saw the cat's eyes widen and yip quietly, knowing Creed had gotten another handful of him. Train blushed and scowled at the man next to him again, who was smirking wildly, obviously enjoying making his beloved uncomfortable.

The tall blonde rolled her eyes and parked the car. "Alright, you brats, we're here."

Train pushed Creed away one more time before jumping out of the car quickly. The silver man laughed and followed his cat, walking around the car and immediately latching onto Train's arm. Train did not stop him from nuzzling his face into his shoulder as he stared at the building they stood in front of.

"Sephiria, this is…"

The woman smirked as she stepped out of the car and next to them. "Euphoric Tastes. Have you been?"

Train laughed loudly at her. "Seriously?! We could never afford a place like this! Are we eating **here**?!" Sephiria nodded and Train faltered. "I assume **you're** paying?"

The lawyer scoffed. "I would never pay for you idiots. This was the second case I represented you for free. Isn't that enough?"

Train grimaced at her words and nodded. Seeing the man was properly beaten, Sephiria smirked and finished her statement. "It was your friends' idea. They've been planning this for a while."

Train turned to the woman. "Planning what?"

There was a strange gleam in her eyes when she answered his question. "You'll see."

Seeing Sephiria beginning to walk in, Train looked down at a still adoring Creed who was once again too entranced by his cat to care about what was happening around them. He had a feeling his partner was going to be like this for a while since he now knew they weren't going to be separated. Creed finally got the happiness he had been fighting so desperately for his entire life, and Train wasn't about to ruin it by making him look at a fancy building.

Train looked back at his lawyer. "This still doesn't change the fact that I don't think I can even afford to walk in there, Sephiria!"

The woman looked back at him over her shoulder. "Just shut up and follow me."

Train sighed and wrapped his fingers around Creed's hand, who smiled and went with his beloved gleefully. Then, the silver man finally realized where they were and pulled back against Train a little.

"Train… We can't afford this…"

The cat rolled his eyes. "If you were paying attention to something other than me, you would have heard this is apparently an idea of our friends and we're supposed to go in."

Creed blushed and continued walking with Train. He couldn't argue with his love about his lack of attention to his surroundings. Since the verdict was read, Creed didn't hear anything happening that didn't directly involve his beloved.

Train couldn't ignore how cute his husband looked blushing and stopped quickly to lift him in the air slightly and kiss him quickly. Creed kicked his legs back when Train did this, squealing as he kissed his beloved back, and pouted when Train put him back down.

The cat laughed at his partner's sad face and pinched his cheek. "Let's go before we lose Sephiria."

Creed nodded and held his love's arm as he walked through the large, ornate doors. They saw Sephiria's back in the distance and caught up to her quickly. The woman looked back to see if they were following and smiled when she saw them running up to her. She was almost at the door that held their friends and their surprise and once she reached it, she stopped and turned to her clients.

"You guys go in first. It's your party, afterall."

Train and Creed exchanged a look then opened the double doors together. As soon as they did, they were greeted with loud shouts from their friends who were scattered around a large ballroom. The couple stayed at the doors, unable to move at what they saw.

The tables were decorated lavishly in gold and silver and there was a tall cake in the corner of the room. The cake had silver and gold icing, rose petals circling the bottom of it. Red roses adorned the room, all of them being held in silver and gold vases.

Train's eyes scanned the room of familiar faces. It looked like everyone was there. Sven, Eve, Rinslet, and Jenos were closest to them, all smiling energetically. He also saw Baldor towards the back, next to him Charden and Kyoko, which made Train a bit nervous, but seeing as she was staying far away and containing herself, he felt better. He even saw William, Aimi, and Emma sitting at a table together, waving happily at the couple who had just entered the room. Charlotte was there as well and Oliver was standing off to the side, looking bashful, but smiling nonetheless.

As they stared at their friends, their confusion did not lessen. Train decided to speak their confusion aloud. "Wh-what is all this?"

"It's a reception." Eve said matter-of-factly.

Train sighed. "That's not an answer."

However, after a few minutes, he started to piece the puzzle together. Train looked at Creed who seemed to figure out the same thing he just did and smiled warmly, noticing his partner's eyes were brimming with tears as he turned to the small blonde.

"Eve… Is this…?" Creed's voice cracked as he spoke to the young woman.

She smiled, but it was her husband that answered the question. "We didn't actually get a chance to celebrate your union properly. It's been such a whirlwind of stress and emotions for you guys we wanted to do something special ."

Rinslet nodded. "Something fun."

"And with drinks!" Jenos handed both men a glass of champagne, smirking wickedly as he patted them both on the back.

Train blinked and looked at the drink, then at everyone else in the room. "But… How?"

"My parents are loaded, remember? They know everything you two have been through and cut a big check to pay for this room and everything in it."

Train shook his head. "Okay, so that makes financial sense, but…" He looked at Creed who was in awe of their friends' generosity. "How did you know it would be possible… How did you know wha-"

"-What the jury's decision would be?" Sven finished his sentence for him.

Train nodded when the green man finished his sentence.

"We didn't. But we still knew." Eve smiled kindly at her friend, and leaned into her husband. "We knew this wouldn't tear you apart. Nothing in this universe could break the bond you guys have."

Now Train felt like crying with Creed, but he held it in. He scanned the room again, making sure to make eye contact with every person that was there. There were even a few nurses from his recent hospitalization there.

"And everyone who fought to keep us together is here…"

However, a sad thought occurred to him when he couldn't help but notice the absence of a certain teal eyed woman.

"Everyone except Saya…" Creed's depressed words finished Train's sentence for him.

The cat squeezed his hand comfortingly, but his ears perked when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"How dare you think I would miss this for anything else in the world!"

Both men turned to see Saya standing there with her girlfriend, tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed against her chest. "My flight was late is all. I can't control the skies! That's why I told Sven to fly his own plane to get me."

Sven dropped his face in his palm. "I told you that's not how it works…"

All three of them ignored the green pilot in favor of reuniting with each other. Train was first to hug his oldest friend, spinning her in the air happily as Creed greeted Lucia. When Train put her down, Creed had wrapped her in a hug instantly, squeezing her as tight as she could.

When they pulled away, Saya wiped away a tear that the silver man lost control over. "Congratulations, Creed. You finally got him. For good this time."

He sobbed and hugged her again, unable to respond to her kind words. He was pulled off by Train who was chuckling at the both of them.

"Alright, hands off my husband. This is our day together."

Creed happily left Saya in favor of his beloved and embraced him tightly. They remained like that for a little, until Train sniffed the air and drooled at the scent that entered his nostrils. He noticed staff was bringing food in, and couldn't fight his hunger anymore. The cat also hadn't forgotten his husband needed to get something in his stomach and turned to their friends.

"Alright, now that everyone's here… Let's get this party started!"

Train and Creed were led to their own table where a pile of food was waiting for both of them. Train also noticed that he had milk sitting next to his wine, much to Creed's disgust. Train smirked and took a sip of each to gross his partner out. He then leaned closer to give Creed a kiss, who actually moved away and made a queasy look.

"Train, you know I hate kissing you after you ingest something gross!"

"And you know I hate when you molest me in public. This is revenge."

The cat managed to grab his husband and kiss him deeply. Despite the mixed taste in Train's mouth, Creed couldn't stop his body from responding immediately. He was never going to turn down any form of affection from his beloved.

They ate their food merrily, enjoying the company of each other and the sound of their friends echoing across the room. Train finished his meal first, then spoon fed Creed his last few bites since the silver man insisted he was full, but the cat refused to accept that after he had passed out just a few hours ago. Begrudgingly, Creed finished his meal, showing Train his plate once it was empty.

The cat nodded then stood from his seat. "Then I guess we should mingle with our friends?"

Creed smiled and took the hand his beloved offered him, then circled the room of their friends. They met with Charlotte first, who was sitting next to Sephiria and laughing happily. The silver man noticed the women holding hands briefly, but quickly parted when Train and Creed walked up to them.

Smiling knowingly, Creed offered a hand to the detective. "Thank you for helping us get through this trial."

With a small blush on her face after almost being caught showing affection to the lawyer, she stood and hugged Creed instead. "Of course. You know I'll always have your backs."

She pulled away from Creed and addressed Train while the silver man talked to and thanked Sephiria again. She put a hand out for him to shake, but Train pushed it away and embraced her as she did his husband.

"What Creed said." He didn't feel like repeating the same thing, but still wanted her to know he appreciated her.

The woman pulled away and smiled up at the tall man. "How's the detective path going?"

Train rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a little. "Yeah… I don't think that's happening…" He eyed her sheepishly. "I was let go from the force. And… I don't really want to go back in that field."

"What?" The voice came from his husband, who was sitting next to Sephiria, but always making sure he heard everything his beloved said.

Train sputtered. "I'm sorry, Creed! I was going to tell you, but-"

"-Did you get a severance package?" Sephiria questioned before Creed could.

Train nodded, then smiled at Creed who sighed in relief. He didn't want his cat to stay a cop after everything that happened, but he knew they needed something to pay the bills until he finished school. A severance package would be a big help until they had steady income again.

Sephiria smirked. "Good. I'll talk to the station before I leave. Make sure it's good enough to get you through the next year."

She eyed Creed when saying that, smiling knowingly as the silver man relaxed at his beloved's news.

The couple stayed there for a few more minutes before moving on to the next group of people. They spoke quickly to Train's nurses, poking fun at the nurse who had revealed their sexual encounter to the court. The woman's co-workers giggled at her embarrassment, but Train assured her they weren't mad. In fact, they were happy she had told the story because it helped validate their relationship.

Next, they spoke to Edo's other victims. Aimi and Emma had their husbands with them, but William was alone. He didn't seem to mind being surrounded by couples, though. Train could tell from his testimony that he was fine with being alone.

"Here." Train slid his phone across the table to William. "Put your number in. I want to stay in contact."

The man nodded and slid it back. "Done. Just text me and I'll have yours." He also slipped Train his business card. "You should have my work information as well… You guys seem to attract trouble."

Train laughed and took the card, then handed it to Emma, who was talking to Creed eagerly. Apparently they had found a common interest in flowers, and Train couldn't help but see the adorableness of it.

When she was done, he handed it to Aimi, who was engaged in the conversation William and Train were having. The cat stood to leave, but noticed his husband was too enthralled in his conversation with the young woman at the table. They had apparently moved on from flowers to painting, which was another thing Train knew Creed loved. The cat smiled at how cute his partner looked when talking about things he loved, and decided to leave him to his conversation.

He looked over at Oliver who was sitting at the table next to them. He was by himself, watching Train as he spoke to William and Aimi, but apparently not wanting to engage in conversation with any of them. Instead, he contented himself with watching Train from afar, much like Creed used to. That thought tugged at her heart and he decided to talk to the small man. He said his goodbyes to William and Aimi, then moved to the next table.

Oliver blushed wildly when he noticed Train was walking over to him and tried to avoid the cat's gaze. It didn't work as the golden man sat next to him and Oliver could feel the golden man's smile piercing his heart. Despite himself, he smiled back, unable to resist the majesty of his crush. Although, after the trial, he was beginning to realize what he felt was more than a crush. That was something he had a hard time admitting, since that would only make the pain worse.

"Hi." Train said kindly, but with a hint of pity in his voice he didn't mean to come out.

Oliver tried to make his smile not seem strained as he greeted Train back. "Hey…"

There was an awkward pause between them, which Train broke by poking both of his cheeks up so his smile looked more genuine. "There, that's better."

Train kept his fingers to his cheeks, which did not help the beating of Oliver's heart and the redness of his face. The small man couldn't help the giggle that left his lips and the smile that turned sincere as Train intended. Leave it to Train to make him happy when he was the one making him sad.

The cat's smile never wavered, which made it difficult for Oliver to concentrate on anything but that. "I'd ask you how you are, but I think your demeanor says it all."

Oliver sighed sadly as Train pulled his hands away. "I'm sorry, Train… I'm trying, but going to the wedding of the man you lo-"

He stopped himself and looked away, realizing saying that to Train right now wasn't fair. It was something he was going to have to deal with on his own, he didn't need to drag the cat into it.

"Sorry…" He said again, looking away.

Train frowned at the nurse who was fumbling with the table cloth. He wanted to talk to Oliver since he was currently trying to make things right with everyone he could from his past, and he knew this was going to be the hardest. Even harder than Baldor, but that relationship was actually pretty solid at the moment. While he wanted to catch with his ex-bully, he didn't think there was any more bad blood between them.

_Well, not that there's bad blood between me and Oliver. It's just… Getting on the same emotional page._

Train leaned his head down so he could see the small man's eyes that were still trying to avoid his. The cat sighed and pushed his head up by the chin with his thumb. He did not hold on to the man, knowing that would be a bad idea.

"Oliver, it's fine. I'm not mad at you."

The nurse tried to smile again, but the gesture was empty. "Why not? You have every right to be..."

Train shook his head. "No, I don't. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I was going to." Oliver said morosely. "I was going to try and give your…" He paused mid-sentence, then took a deep breath. " ...H-husband a bad name just so I could **maybe** have another shot with you."

As he looked in Train's eyes, he could have wept from sheer longing. "I never had a chance, did I?"

Train frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "I never would have thought Creed had a chance either. I never would have thought **anyone** had a chance." The cat looked over at his partner, who was still in deep conversation with Emma, which made Train smile fondly. "Creed just… found a way to worm into my heart. I don't know how he passed all my defenses, but he did."

He looked back at Oliver, who was obviously still hurt. "It's a mystery to me as well. If you really want to know how he did it, you might want to talk to Creed."

Oliver glanced at Creed and looked away quickly before he could feel the jealousy rise. "I don't think that will be necessary. It also wouldn't fix anything."

Train nodded sympathetically. "Sorry…"

"No." Oliver looked at him sternly. The golden hadn't seen that look in his eyes since the man convinced him to give him his number. "You **never** need to apologize to me. Ever."

Train felt compelled to nod in agreement with the small man, then chuckled a little. "You're a lot like Creed, actually…"

Oliver felt his heart skip a beat at that thought, but stopped immediately since he knew there was no hope of Train ever feeling anything romantic for him. "C-can... Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. I'm here to talk, not be stared at like a painting."

The nurse blushed and laughed quietly, then continued his question. "What…" He looked back at Creed quickly, then to his hands. "What is it about him that you love so much? I mean… What does he have that-"

"-That you don't?" Train finished his sentence for him.

Oliver nodded quickly, keeping his eyes down. It was still really hard to look in his eyes and not throw himself at him. He knew he had to do everything in his power to not ruin whatever platonic relationship Train was trying to create with him.

"Why is this the second time today I'm answering that question?" Seeing Oliver's continued nervousness, Train sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Creed… has always been there for me. Even when I didn't know I needed him, he was there. I wouldn't have made it this far without him. I wouldn't even be **alive** if it wasn't for him…"

Oliver nodded again, still keeping his head low. "I understand all that, but… What is it about **him** that you love so much…" Again, he looked at Creed, then back to his hands. "I mean… I know he's physically attractive, but… that doesn't seem important to you."

Train chuckled and looked at Creed as well, smiling tenderly as the man pulled out his phone and eagerly showed pictures to Emma. "He is **very** cute..,"

Oliver frowned. "But, is that really it?" The nurse knew Creed was more attractive than most men, but he also knew he was a good looking guy as well. If that was really all it was, that didn't seem fair to him.

Train laughed louder this time. "No, not at all. You have to realize, I don't really think that way. While I am physically attracted to Creed **now** and can see how objectively handsome he is, that was not the case when we first met. That only happened after the romantic feelings started for him. I've learned that I don't really feel a physical attraction to anyone until there are romantic feelings."

That made sense to Oliver, but it still didn't answer his question. "Okay… Then… Why Creed?"

The cat watched his husband now talking to Aimi and her husband, still showing pictures on his phone which the golden man was sure were paintings he had done of Train, since that was mostly what he painted.

"Well, he makes me laugh and I enjoy his company more than anyone else. He's able to keep up with me and at the same time challenge me. He gets me more than I get myself."

Oliver kept staring at him, as if he wanted more reasons, which Train was able to do.

"Creed brings out the best in me. I tend to have my head in the clouds and don't think things through, and Creed keeps my grounded. He reminds me of what is necessary instead of what I want. He keeps my head on straight when I start to go overboard and makes me think before I speak." He smiled and looked at Oliver. "Overall, he just makes me a better person. And he makes me want to **be** a better person. This may sound cliche, but he really is the ying to my yang. I just feel whole with him around."

This seemed to satisfy the man and he smiled sadly. "You love him a lot, don't you…"

It wasn't really a question Train was supposed to answer. He had made his feelings for Creed clear during the trial, but Oliver had been tossing and turning at night, wondering if there was anything different he could have done to win Train's heart. After hearing that explanation, he actually felt a little better, knowing there really was nothing he could have done.

Train noticed his slight change in demeanor and smiled. "Did that help?"

The nurse nodded and looked at him, still feeling his heart beating rapidly as he stared into his beautiful golden eyes. "Yes. Thank you, Train."

The cat smiled brightly and messed with the small man's hair. "Good. Now, for what I came here for." He took out his phone and handed it to Oliver. "I'd like to be friends, if you think that's okay?"

Oliver didn't even have to think about it. He already decided having Train as a friend was better than not having him at all. "Yes. Yes, please."

He took Train's phone and put his number in quickly, handing it back to the cat. "I promise I won't bother you like I did last time. You're a married man now, I can't be asking you out constantly."

Train laughed and sent a quick text to Oliver so the man had his number. The nurse heard his phone go off and looked at it, giggling cutely when he saw the gif of a black cat dancing. He looked at Train happily as he clutched the phone to his chest.

"You didn't need to do that. I never deleted your number."

The golden man frowned, remembering he had blocked then deleted Oliver's number a while ago. "Oh, right… Sorry."

"What did I say about apologizing? You gave me boundaries that I didn't listen to back then. What choice did I leave you?"

Train smiled at the small man, patting his shoulder kindly. "Thanks, Oliver."

The nurse had to fight the urge to hold Train's hand, but he smiled nonetheless. Train's attention was brought over to William who was standing and acting very dramatic about something. It must have been some kind of medieval joke, since the man had one foot propped up on his chair while he held a plate like a shield and pointed a fork at Emma like a sword. Everyone at the table was very amused, including Creed who then noticed his beloved had been talking to Oliver. The silver man frowned and silently asked his cat if he was okay, and Train nodded with a smile.

The cat laughed at William's antics as well, and his ears perked when he heard Oliver laugh next to him. A thought occurred to him and he smirked, waiting for William to sit back down. Once he did, the golden man pulled his chair over to their table, William in tow, and put him between Train and Oliver.

William blinked in confusion at Train, then at Oliver. "Can I help you?" He asked the question to Train, since he only knew the other man as being someone who testified at the trial.

Train's smirk never faltered. "No, but maybe you can help him. He has some… social work questions?"

He looked at Oliver who was looking at him curiously. William was also not convinced of Train's reasoning either and voiced his confusion.

"That seems like a weak explanation, Heartnet. Care to try again? But with more adjectives, nouns, and verbs this time? Also, just an overall more convincing story."

Oliver laughed again and Train noticed William smiling coyly. He also noticed William's eyes lingering on the nurse a bit and the cat smirked again. It occurred to him that William was pretty similar to Train. While they didn't look alike at all, William had blonde, short hair and green eyes, their personalities were comparable. Train hoped that maybe this would mean Oliver could at least hit it off with William a little bit, and maybe that would help the nurse move on from him.

Train stood and patted William on the shoulder. "Just hang out with Oliver for a bit. He's sitting here all by himself." He smiled at Oliver, who blushed brightly and visibility fought the urge to pull Train back down so they could keep talking. "He's a good guy. I don't want him to be sitting here alone."

William looked at Train, then back down to Oliver and something clicked in his head. He smiled at the nurse knowingly, then nodded his head. "No one should be alone at a wedding. Especially not someone so cute."

Oliver looked at William and blushed brighter, unable to respond to that statement which made both Train and William laugh. The cat left the table and walked over to his husband, taking the man by his hand and kissing it gently.

Creed smiled wonderfully at his beloved, then looked over at William and Oliver. "Is everything okay, Love?"

Train smiled and looked at the two men Creed was staring at. "Yes. I'm just taking this time to tie up a few loose ends so we can live happily ever after."

Creed smirked at his cat, caressing his cheek tenderly. "That's so corny, Train."

The cat laughed and pinched his husband's cheek. "Shut up, I'm not as good at stating my feelings as you are."

Creed giggled at his beloved, glancing at William and Oliver once more as they walked to the next table. "Were you playing matchmaker?"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a little. It's really up to them where it goes."

The feline man chuckled when he saw William dab a little sauce on Oliver's nose, which made the man sputter and blush wildly. Train took that as a sign things were going well and turned his attention back to the man he loved. He stopped him momentarily so he could kiss him deeply, wrapping his arm around Creed's waist and dipping him slightly, unaware they had made their way to the center of the dance floor.

They were greeted by a loud round of applause, which made Train pull away and look around quickly. Creed did not take his eyes off his cat, hoping the cheers would get his beloved to kiss him again and was happy to see it did. Train loved being dramatic, whether he wanted to admit it or not, and they were definitely in a dramatic situation.

Train leaned in for a kiss again, dipping Creed even more so this time, Creed actually kicking one leg out as he wrapped his arms tightly around his beloved's neck. At that moment, they heard music starting to play, and Train lifted his head again to see Jenos had walked over to the speakers that were behind his and Creed's table, plugging his phone in to play an energetic song.

Train stood straight and took Creed with him, but instantly felt someone jumping onto his back. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was. The only person who would jump on him for an unannounced piggy back ride was his best friend. This was confirmed when Saya leaned forward and grinned cheekily over his shoulder.

"Enough kissing, it's time to dance!" She threw a hand in the air when she said this, inviting everyone else to join.

A few minutes later, Train found himself surrounded by some of his closest friends, celebrating joyfully with him and his new husband. Creed was pulled to the side by Eve, who was dancing far more restrained than Saya and Train. Feeling the girl was still on his back the cat decided enough was enough and grabbed the girl's back, flipping her over so she was in front of him.

Saya cackled wildly when Train spun her by her hand, copying his motions as she twirled him around as well. Their dance soon became a competition of who could dance crazier, which was quickly one upped as William had made his way into the fray as well, sliding on his knees between the two lifelong friends, waving his arms in the air recklessly.

Slowly, everyone had made their way to the dance floor. The competition between Train, William, and Saya for who had the dumbest dance moves became more heated over time. Creed was of course standing to the side, giggling lovingly at his cat, enjoying seeing how happy and carefree he was. He was also happy knowing he felt that way as well and gladly let his beloved pull him in to try and one up the other two.

Saya glared at her friend as he brought his partner into the battle and searched for Lucia to pull her in as well. Once she found her, she tossed her in the air and caught her gracefully, laughing at the woman's bright red face. William frowned, not sure what to do since he didn't have a dance partner. When he saw Oliver looking at Train wistfully, he smirked and grabbed the small nurse, pulling him out of his sad daze to hopefully put a smile on his pretty face. He was happy to see the small man blush and follow along with his silly shenanigans.

Train saw this too and smiled, looking back at his husband who was too bewitched by his cat to care about any other potential couplings happening. The cat kissed his partner passionately, unable to resist his endearing smile that graced his pale lips. Creed returned the kiss vehemently, purring at the feel of his cat's tongue against his own.

The other couples also agreed the competition was over as the song changed to something slow paced. Train was actually surprised at this, since it was Jenos' phone. He didn't peg the man for having anything romantic on his music list.

The cat pulled away from his husband, much to the man's displeasure, and noticed Jenos and Rinslet dancing like a normal couple. More than normal, they were holding each other tenderly and Jenos even caressed her cheek lovingly. It was a strange thing for him to see, since he was so used to them fighting all the time.

He saw the other couples dancing in a very similar fashion, even William was able to convince Oliver to stay and share a slow dance with him. The cat looked over at the table that held the nurses and noticed Baldor was asking the woman who mentioned their physical rendezvous during the trial for a dance. The woman blushed and accepted, making Train chuckle.

Creed looked at his cat curiously when he laughed, then followed his love's eyes over to the table of women and their ex-bully. He giggled as well, then pressed his cheek against his cat's chest, his arm wrapped underneath Train's arm and around his shoulder, his other one holding Train's hand tightly. The golden man felt his husband sigh against him and smiled blissfully. He kissed Creed's head, then rested his cheek against the man's silver locks, feeling whole as he held his partner in his arms.

The next few hours flew by. At one point, Train was greeted by Kyoko and braced himself for impact. However, he was delighted to find the girl gave him an extremely tame hug and let him go quickly. She was a few years older now than the last time he saw her, and it seemed age had matured her slightly. Charden was next to her as well, shaking Train's hand and congratulating them both.

They talked for a little and Train found out after graduating, Kyoko went to trade school and got a degree in respiratory therapy while Charden was currently working as a phlebotomist. Train didn't fully understand what that was, but when Charden explained it had to do with blood, the cat was instantly no longer interested and changed the subject to literally anything else.

He was happy to see they were happy and living a good life, and especially happy to see Kyoko had calmed down. However, when Train turned to leave, he felt the young woman pinch his behind then wink when he turned around. He growled at her a little and sought out Creed.

_Some things never change._

When Train found his husband, he noticed he had been talking to Baldor. The large man was drinking water and had his arm around the nurse he was dancing with. Train smirked at the man's ability to move that quickly with a woman. Just from looking at her, even Train could tell she liked him.

Still, Train couldn't pass up the opportunity to mess with his ex-bully and he jumped up a little to wrap his arm around the taller man's neck, pulling him down and giving him a massive noogie.

"Enjoying the party, buddy?" Train laughed as the man tried to pull himself free.

"Ugh! Get off me, Cat! Not in front of the lady!"

The golden man laughed louder and released Baldor. He walked over to his husband, putting an arm around his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. Creed smiled and leaned into his cat, playing with his beloved's fingers that hung from his small frame.

"So, Baldor, we haven't had a chance to fully catch up. What have you been up to?" Train was a little nervous asking the question, since it was already revealed he had been in a program for alcoholics.

Baldor smiled and put his arm back around the small woman. It had been knocked off when Train assaulted him. "Well… Not to go into too much detail, but I fell on some hard times. Fortunately, I found help and I've been doing much better. I recently got a job as a storage manager. It's not glamorous, but it pays fairly well."

Train nodded. "Hey, I'm currently unemployed until further notice. No need to feel bad about your job."

Baldor frowned. "What do you mean."

The cat waved his words away. "Do you really think I could stay in a place like **that**? After everything that happened?" They were silent when he said that, knowing he was right. Before they could voice their apologies, Train finished his statement. "Don't look at me like that. I'll figure something out. I always do. Until then, I'll have a sugar daddy supporting me."

Creed smiled at his cat. "I don't have to work again when I get a job. You know I'll always take care of you."

Train shook his head. "No way. I'll die of boredom."

Baldor laughed and nodded in agreement. "You know better than anyone else he can't sit still. It's like he's on catnip all the time."

Train laughed robustly at his joke. "Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it!"

As they joked and caught up, Train couldn't help but think how surreal this situation was. He had never been able to sit down with Baldor and have a conversation with him. Now that he was, he was surprised to learn he actually liked the moose. Baldor had a similar sense of humor as him, made jokes similar to his, and they apparently had a lot in common.

_Maybe if he wasn't silently suffering in high school and taking it out of the world, we could have been friends._

Being friends with Baldor reminded Train of his two lackeys that used to follow him everywhere. "By the way, where are Ash and Kranz at now? I haven't heard you mention them at all."

Baldor looked a little flustered when Train asked him that and he was about to tell the bigger man to forget he said anything, but Baldor put up a hand to stop his apologies. "No, it's okay. This is part of the healing process as well. If I want to be friends with you both, and I truly do, I need to be honest."

Creed and Train gave him a curious look, but were silent so he could speak.

Baldor took a deep breath, then explained what happened to them. "I really don't know where they are right now… I have an idea, but… After high school I did them real wrong. I'd rather not get into it now, but let's just say… If they never wanted to talk to me again, I would understand."

The couple was still quiet, but they gave him an understanding look. Baldor smiled at their kindness and continued. "They're next on my list of apologies. I saved them for last because they were my best friends and I messed up so bad I'm… scared to talk to them again."

The nurse he had his arm around frowned deeply and gave him a hug. She didn't know him well, but apparently she wasn't bothered by his tragic past. If anything, his honesty and want to change made her more attracted to him.

Train nodded. "That makes sense to me. I don't know what you did, but I hope they forgive you." He punched his ex-bully in the shoulder. "You're a good guy, Moose."

Baldor smirked at the use of his old nickname. In high school, Train used it as a way to fight back against him, but there was something about the way he said it that made it sound endearing instead of demeaning. He punched the golden man back and laughed.

"Right back at ya, Cat." He turned to Creed for his next statement. "And I can't stress this enough… I'm **really** happy you finally got everything you wanted. You're a smart guy with a good heart. And I'm glad this Cat finally saw that."

Creed smiled cheerfully at him and offered him Baldor his hand. "Thanks… That means more than you know…"

As they shook hands, Train smiled, enjoying seeing his husband forgive someone who gave him endless pain for so many years. Suddenly, he heard his name being shouted by an extremely high pitched and childish voice. Before he could turn around, he felt something small wrapping around his waist and buring its face into his back.

"AH!" Train yelled and turned around, trying to see what had attached itself to him. He smiled widely when he saw the dark black hair of his small admirer. "Hey, Tak!"

Train grabbed him and lifted him in the air excitedly, earning many giggles from the young boy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother and father approaching quickly, both of them looking exhausted at their son for running off without them.

"I'm so sorry, Train!" Trish said as she quickly caught her breath. "I couldn't stop him. As soon as he saw you he took off!"

Dante leaned his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. "I'd like to add to my wife's apology by adding I'm sorry that we're late. After the verdict was read, we needed to get out of there real quick before we got a parking ticket and then Tak needed a nap and lunch, and then-"

Train put up a hand as he placed Tak on one of his shoulders. "Stop apologizing, it's cool. You're here, and that's all that matters."

Tak wrapped his arms around Train's head, accidentally blocking his vision as he did so. The cat yelped a little and removed his small arms from his face and decided to move the boy so his legs were wrapped around his neck instead. Now Tak was able to lean forward and put his arms around his forehead, pressing his cheek against Train's hair and smiling happily.

"I missed you!" His voice was a high pitched squeak which made Train laugh.

"I missed you too, buddy!" He turned to Creed so Tak could see the silver man as well. "You remember Creed?"

Tak nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! He let me read him a story. He's really nice."

Creed giggled and offered a hand to the small boy. "Nice to see you again, Tak."

As Creed looked at the boy, he couldn't help but notice the child had purposely spiked his hair like Train's. It was definitely not an accident, Creed could smell the hair gel from where he was standing. Tak took the hand quickly, but then busied himself with Train's hair again. He moved his fingers through the chocolate locks, as if he had never seen them before.

"Can I read to you both again soon?"

Train looked at his parents, who nodded their heads. "Sounds like a date! We just need to pick a day."

Tak's whole body brightened more than it already was. Creed noticed the boy was blushing brightly and smirked.

_Did my love entrance another young and impressionable fool?_

He watched as his cat ran around the room with the child on his back, Tak putting his arms out and pretending he was an airplane. The silver man could see Tak wasn't as shy as Train had described him to be while he was in the hospital. He must have matured a little in the weeks of the trial. Despite that, he was still a kid, and Creed had a feeling those bashful moments would return in no time.

_Especially if he's going to be reading to Train again. That poor kid has no idea what that man will accidentally do to his heart if he isn't prepared._

Trish and Dante stood next to Creed, watching the cat with their son and enjoying how happy the boy was to be with his hero. The silver man heard them laugh and turned to them.

"He's been talking about Train non-stop since that night he saved my life. I'm actually starting to get worried his heart will be broken." Dante was still smiling, but it was a little sadder right now.

Creed patted his shoulder. "Unfortunately, there's not many that can resist his charm. But, Train knows about his crush, and he'll make sure he won't be hurt. He cares about Tak too much to hurt him."

"Besides, Train's married and eighteen years older than him. Tak is bound to grow out of it, right?" Trish interjected curiously, hoping she was right.

Creed looked to where Oliver was, noticing that while he was enjoying dancing with William, he still kept stealing glances at his cat. Kyoko was also watching Train with amusement, even though she was clinging to Charden lovingly. A few nurses even giggled and blushed at his weird antics, which made the law student roll his eyes.

"I'd like to give you a positive answer, but I really can't. I never grew out of it." Feeling the couple staring at him to explain, he did. "The defense **did** get that part right. I have been in love with Train since we were eight years old. I was just the lucky one."

Seeing the cat now spinning the boy in the air, even throwing him to Saya so she could play with him too he smiled. "He's just… Perfect. It's really the only way I can describe him. Over the years, I've seen how I'm not the only one who finds him completely irresistible."

He glanced at Tak's parents and frowned, seeing they were still worried and decided to try a different route. "However, everyone else who has fallen for him hasn't ended up broken like you're worried about. They've always held a torch for him, but they've found happiness elsewhere."

Creed watched as William dipped a blushing and smiling Oliver, Kyoko being spun and kissed by a charming Charden, and even the nurses who had been eyeing Train dancing merrily with each other.

He turned to the couple, smiling confidently. "Please don't worry. This won't break his future like you think it will."

Trish and Dante shared a look, then smiled at him. "We know. That's actually why we had a question for you both." Trish's voice was hesitant, but a little excited.

Creed cocked an eyebrow and waited for them to continue.

"I know this may be a weird time to bring it up, but we just can't hold back to the question anymore." Dante glanced at Train dancing with his son once more before turning back to Creed. "We want to know if you and Train will be Tak's legal guardians if anything were to happen to either of us."

Creed could only stare at the couple when Dante said this, not sure how to respond.

Trish tried to elaborate. "If we've learned anything in the last month it's that we aren't immortal. Even though we're young, anything can happen and we want to know Tak will be with people who will love and care for him as if he was their own. Neither of us has any family that we feel we can trust to raise him, and after everything Train has done for us and for him, and after meeting you and seeing how good you are with him… We think this is the best choice for us."

Creed gaped a little longer before he questioned them. "...Are you sure? I know you know Train pretty well, but you don't know me very well yet…"

Dante smiled and slapped him on the back. "We learned everything we needed to know about you that night you let Tak read to you. There's a kindness in your eyes we can't ignore."

Trish nodded. "And besides that, we know Train wouldn't marry someone we couldn't trust. Plus, we saw what you did at the trial." She squeezed his shoulder tightly. "We know in our hearts we can trust you."

Creed felt a tear fall down his cheek as he looked at them both. He wiped it away and laughed nervously. "Sorry… I cry a lot…"

Dante brushed away his words. "Don't be sorry. It's good you're so in touch with your emotions you can let them out so freely. It's more of a reason you'd be a good guardian."

The silver man grabbed both their hands and squeezed them gratefully. "Thank you… I'll talk to Train, but…" Seeing his cat was now letting the boy defeat him in mock battle, Creed smirked. "I have a feeling he'll say yes. He loves kids."

The couple returned the gesture he made against their hand then let go. They stayed where they were and watched Train and Tak for a while longer, allowing the two to enjoy their time together before they knew they had to break it up. Eventually, Saya's voice could be heard screaming for cake, which brought everyone's attention to her. Her friends were the only ones who weren't confused about how they were able to hear her over the loud voices in the room and the music.

The teal eyed girl then grabbed Train's arm violently, making the cat shout in pain as Tak gripped his arm tighter so he could be dragged away with his hero. Creed saw her running over to him, taking his arm just as harshly as she had taken the cat's and bringing them both to the cake.

Once they were in front of it, Saya let them go and handed Train a cutting knife. "Do it! I'm craving sugar something fierce!"

Before taking the utensil from his eager friend, he threw Tak back on his shoulders, noticing the boy wasn't going to let go. Once Tak was settled, he grabbed the knife and frowned.

"This cake is too fancy to cut."

Saya rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance. "It's not even three layers! C'mon! I'm gonna **die** if I don't get sugar in my body soon!"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Guess it's been nice knowing ya!"

Creed decided to step in before the young woman grew frustrated enough with his beloved to throw him in the cake and took the knife.

"I got it…" He took the knife from his cat and skilfully cut into the cake. Knowing the tradition, he turned to Train to offer him a bite.

Of course his cat had no idea what he was doing and blinked at him in confusion. "Don't I need a plate? You get mad at me when I don't use a plate."

Creed rolled his eyes and smeared a little on his nose, lips, and chin. "It's tradition, Train. Take a bite, then give me a bite."

Train narrowed his eyes when Creed dabbed his nose and grabbed a handful of cake himself. He took the silver man's innocent gesture as war, and he'd be damned if he was going to lose.

"Oh, I'll give you a bite alright…"

Train took the dessert in his hand, not bothering to use the knife then rubbed it in Creed's face. Saya laughed vociferously, clutched her sides as she fell to the ground as Ceed stepped away from his cat and opened his mouth in shock.

Train was proud of himself and even took another small handful and fed it nicely to the boy on his shoulders. Tak took a gleeful bite and smiled merrily. Creed squinted at his beloved and the small boy, then dug his hand into the cake as well.

"How dare you both mock me…"

Creed attacked his cat first, holding his love still with one hand as the other smashed the dessert into his face brutally. He then used whatever was left on his hand to lightly smear on Tak's cheeks, earning a delightful giggle from the young child. Tak was having the time of his life being on his hero's shoulders, eating cake, and being permitted to make a mess.

Train sputtered and stepped back, but made sure he did not lessen his hold on Tak's ankles. Just as he was about to grab another fistful of cake, Saya jumped up with two hands full of frosting and smashed it in both of their faces.

"I forgot I was here, which is what gives me the victory!"

She even made sure to let Tak have another dab on his nose, smiling happily at the boy's cheerful deposition. Train and Creed were about to retaliate against the girl with another attack, but Sven jumped in to stop them all.

"Hey! Leave some for everyone else! Jeez, this is getting out of hand!"

The three of them shared a look, then all smashed cake into Sven face and green hair. Train even leaned down enough so Tak could get a handful and lightly press some into Sven's cheek.

Sven wiped it off quickly and moved away from all of them. He felt Eve's delicate hand on his shoulder, but was unable to see her due to the frosting in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I knew this would happen. This was an old cake I had brought out for specifically this purpose. The real one is in the back and being cut as we speak."

Sven wanted to thank his wife, but was unable to as he tried to clean himself off. Seeing that wasn't possible, he walked blindly in the direction of the bathroom. Eve handed her other three friends and the child a wet towel, having had them prepared in advance as well. As she did this, the rest of the guests were served a fresh plate of cake, all of them returning to their seats to enjoy their dessert.

Once Train's face was cleaned he put Tak down, much to the small boy's distaste. The child clung to his waist again, and the golden man laughed. "We'll play more later. Go to your parents and have cake."

Tak looked over at his mother who was giving him a stern look and frowned. He gave Train one more quick hug before running over to the woman. Creed smiled as he watched him go, wrapping his arm around his beloved's as he led him back to their table where cake awaited them as well.

"We actually need to talk about the boy…"

Train eyed him wearily. "Are you seriously jealous of a five-year-old boy?"

Creed chuckled. "No, of course not."

Train frowned. "Are you going to tell me you want kids? I've never been good at science, but I'm pretty sure one of us will need to go through some **major** physical changes to do that. Even, then I'm not sure it'll work."

The silver man sighed and pinched his cat like Train always did to him. "Stop it! Let me talk!"

"I always let you talk!" Train pouted.

"You're not right now!" Creed retorted.

Train smirked and stopped their walking to kiss him. "Because you're too cute to need words right now."

Creed blushed and punched his cat lovingly. "Shut up and let me finish!"

Train smiled cheekily, but remained quiet as his husband explained the conversation he had with the Gotos. The cat looked at Tak, who was adorably eating cake, getting it everywhere but his face and smiled.

"I'm fine with that. It'd be an honor, in fact."

Creed nodded in agreement. "That's what I thought. We'll let them know later. Right now, cake."

The room became slightly quieter as everyone enjoyed their cake. Jenos even made sure to change the music to be more appropriately subdued so no one felt the urge to dance again. Train couldn't help but feed his partner some cake. He enjoyed the man's reactions too much to resist.

Once everyone was finished, Jensos made sure to change the music again to entice people to dance once more. It worked and soon the floor was packed again, Train being sure to pull his husband on the stage with him. Eventually Tak had made his way back to him as well, but Creed didn't mind sharing his beloved with the young boy.

However, as he was dancing, Sephiria stepped onto the floor for the first time, tapping his shoulder and gesturing for him to follow. Creed excused himself from his friends and husband, following the powerful woman to her table.

Before they got there, she stopped and turned around purposefully. The confidence in her stance threw Creed off and he stopped abruptly.

"What is it, Sephiria?"

She simply stared at him for a second, then answered with her own question. "When do you graduate?"

Creed blinked at her, not sure why she cared. "In a little less than a year."

Sephiria frowned. "Even after falling behind while Train was in the hospital?"

Creed shook his head. "I didn't fall behind. I kept the pace. I was ahead of schedule before he fell comatose, but now I'm just on track." He smirked, allowing himself to feel proud for a moment. "Still top of the class too."

The tall woman didn't have words for a second, but her silence spoke volumes. She had been impressed with the man since she met him, but this was a new level. Sephiria knew first hand how difficult law school was, and seeing someone so young pass through it with such ease was both infuriating and remarkable.

She smirked, knowing she had to have him on her team. "Do you have a job lined up yet?"

He shook his head. "No. That's one thing I haven't had time for."

"Here." She handed him a card to her law firm. "I want you to call me the **second** you have your diploma. If you don't, **I'll** be calling **you**."

Creed froze for a second as he stared at the woman's card. "You have the most influential law firm in the area… One of the most powerful in the world…"

The tall blonde smirked again. "I know, I built it."

Creed still did not move. "That's… That's a big offer… Are you sure…?"

Sephiria rolled her eyes. "No only am I sure, but I'm confident you'll be able to make history by being made the youngest partner to my business."

This made the silver man stumble back a little. "Wh-what!? What the hell are you talking about?!"

Her smile widened. "Did I stutter? Take the damn card, my hand's getting tired and I need to get going."

Creed stayed frozen for a moment longer, then took the card with shaky hands. He stared at the small rectangle, feeling the woman patting his back strongly.

"This is real. You'll be a great asset to the team. Can't wait to for you to join us."

She suddenly had Charlotte next to her, locking arms with the woman as they left the party together. Creed turned to say thank you, but saw they were already gone, leaving him to wonder if it was all a dream. But her words rang vidily in his head and the card was too palpable for him to deny.

As he stood there in shock, he didn't hear the song change to a familiar one. It was only when his love walked up to him did he remember where he was.

When Train approached, Creed held the card up immediately. "I have a job!"

The cat smiled splendidly, then wrapped his arm around Creed's waist and kissed him deeply. Creed clung to his cat tightly, plunging his tongue eagerly into his beloved's mouth until his ears finally registered what the song in the background was.

The silver man pulled away and looked at his cat curiously. "Is this?"

Train's response was a simple, but exceptional smile. "It is. They planned this to be the last dance." He ran his hand through Creed's hair lovingly. "Don't we have the best friends?"

Creed nodded and leaned into his cat's hand, never taking his eyes off his love. "We have the best life…"

Train kissed him once more on the forehead before leading him to the dance floor, where everyone had already paired up and begun to dance. However, the newlyweds forgot about all of them as they embraced, relishing the feel of each other, savoring the words that resounded in their ears nostalgically.

However, this time when the song spoke of those three words, Train was able to say them. While he still felt like they weren't enough to describe his feelings for Creed, he knew they were good enough for the moment.

"I love you, Creed." Train pulled his husband closer and whispered softly in his ear.

Creed felt a pleasurable chill run down his back at the feel of his cat's breath against his ear, the strength behind the arms that held him, and the joy in his heart knowing he had finally gotten the man he had fought so hard for his entire life.

"I love you, Train."


	27. Finding Peace Part 2

Well, this is it. The last chapter. It's been a long time coming, but I'm happy I finally finished it. I really, really, really hope people have been reading it and enjoying. I've really enjoyed writing this story and it's been very helpful to keep my mind occupied in these tough times of the horrid year 2020.

I'm actually gonna miss writing this story. However, I do intend on writing a epilogue, so keep an eye out for that. This is the end of the story, but I really want to do a "where are they now" chapter. It will take place fairly far in the future. That way you can see how Train and Creed are doing. Hope you read that too and enjoy. :)

CW: Yaoi

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

* * *

** Finding Peace Part 2 **

A couple months had passed since their makeshift wedding and everyone had gone home. They still saw the Gotos every so often and even became their go to babysitters for Tak. But, for the most part, they had been enjoying their time together. This was the first time they had in a while to just relax, and they desperately wanted to take advantage of it.

Creed was going to be graduating soon and Train's severance package was going to keep them afloat until a few months after that, which gave them more quiet time than they had in awhile and less financial stress. Luckily, the silver man still had scholarships and financial aids, so they didn't have to worry about loans once he finished either. Neither of them had ever felt such a relief in such a long time and they didn't want to miss a second of it.

Creed was lying on the couch with Train, his beloved spooning him as he fell asleep watching television. Creed couldn't help but giggle when he heard his cat snore loudly, snuggling back into his cat a little as he sighed contentedly. He glanced at the clock, realizing how late it was getting frowned.

_His parents are running late, I guess._

They were on the couch because they were currently babysitting Tak again and the boy had fallen asleep in their bed. As much as Creed wanted to sleep in his own bed, he didn't want to disturb the child.

Creed sighed and turned over, cuddling into his sleeping love as he shut his eyes. They shot back open quickly when he heard the loud cries from the child in the next room.

"TRAIN!"

The silver man groaned and buried his head into his cat's chest, hoping he was just imagining things.

"Train! I can't sleep!"

Creed looked at his love and frowned, knowing his husband slept through everything. He patted Train's cheeks lightly, hoping that would wake him up. Seeing it did nothing, he moved up a little to kiss him gently, which gave him the desired effect. Unfortunately, it was a bit too much of the result he wanted as Train deepened the kiss almost immediately, pulling Creed closer to his chest.

Creed, being unable to ever reject any advances from his cat, returned Train's eagerness instantly. However, as a few minutes they heard Tak's cries again and the silver man groaned sadly.

"Go take care of him."

Train groaned as well, trying to kiss Creed again only to hear the boy's voice calling him again. "Can't you do it? I'm so tired…"

Creed sighed. "The last time he called for you and I went he cried. Just go check on him. I'm not going anywhere."

The cat mumbled his disapproval, but left the couch nonetheless. He leapt over Creed effortlessly, kissing him one more time before entering their room. Creed could tell his demeanor changed immediately when he entered the room, instantly becoming the doting cat Tak had grown so attached to.

Creed watched the room wistfully, feeling himself falling for Train even more after he saw how good he was with the child. He could hear Train playing with him and allowing the boy to read him a story. His love didn't even sound upset about being kept awake longer, knowing that Train wanted to do whatever he could so the boy would go back to sleep.

When Train returned, Creed smiled and reached his arms out to the man.

"Come back now…"

Train smirked and obeyed, kissing Creed immediately as he reached the couch. The silver man moaned quietly, being sure not to wake up the child in the other room as he let his beloved enter his mouth earnestly. Train stood above Creed, one hand against the couch as the other ran up his partner's thigh and to the hem of his pants. When Creed clutched his beloved's shirt tightly and pulled him close, Train felt himself growing more excited and pulled away.

"No, Creed, we can't. Tak's in the other room."

When his cat backed away, Creed whimpered and pulled him close again. Train allowed his partner to kiss him deeply once more, then pushed off him again.

"His parents will be here soon to get him. Can't you wait until then?" Train locked eyes with his husband when he said this, which only made Creed's desire for him worse.

"You can't ask me to wait while giving me that look. It's not fair." Creed ran a hand up Train's shirt, reaching for the sensitive skin he knew set his beloved off.

Train yelped when Creed caressed his nipple and covered his mouth, looking back to the door to make sure they didn't wake the boy. He then turned a glare to Creed who was looking at him so sweetly Train couldn't resist.

"Dammit…" He said as he straddled the man on the couch, tilting Creed's head back so he could have better access to his mouth.

Creed smiled inwardly, proud of himself for convincing Train to make out a little harder. As his hands traveled back up his beloved's chest he felt goosebumps rising on Train's smooth skin. When he heard his cat moan a little, Creed pinched his nipple promptly, making the golden man gasp into his mouth.

The next thing Creed knew Train was throwing himself off him and leapt across the room when they heard a doorknob turning. The cat flattened his clothes and faced away from the boy, just so he could double check he was ready to be seen by him. Creed knew he wasn't and decided to cross his legs quickly to hide his growing issue.

"Hey, buddy! What are you doing up? I thought you were tired?" Train noticed he was fine and turned to face the boy.

Tak frowned, one hand holding the robot Train gave him, the other pushing the door farther open. "I'm not. I wanna watch TV with you."

Train frowned. "You didn't nap at all today, though…"

Tak walked over to him and hugged his waist. "I didn't need a nap."

The cat sighed and looked at Creed who shrugged his shoulders and scooted further to one side of the couch. "He can sit with us. Like you just said, his parents will be picking him up soon anyway."

Train felt the boy cling to him harder when Creed said that. "No! I don't wanna leave yet!"

The golden man smirked and lifted him in the air to bring him to the couch. "You're not leaving yet. We have some time until then."

Train put the boy next to Creed and Tak leaned into the silver man immediately, waiting for his hero to sit down with them. Seeing he wasn't, Tak frowned and cuddled a little more into Creed, making the law student giggle and pat his head tenderly.

"We all need to watch together, Train…" Tak's voice was sad and quiet, making Train have to strain to hear it.

Train laughed and put up a finger. "Just give me a second, I need a drink."

"Can I have milk too?!" Tak said excitedly, removing his face from Creed to say this.

Creed giggled again, hearing Train's voice confirm that he could from the kitchen. After finding out how much his hero loved milk, Tak decided it was his new favorite drink as well. Pretty much anything Train did he thought was the best thing in the world and would immediately become obsessed with it.

He felt the boy snuggle back into him and smiled. However, as soon as Train came back with two glasses of milk and one glass of wine for Creed, Tak almost forgot about him instantly in favor of his hero and the beverage. When Train sat down, Tak scooted over to him instead and cuddled against the side of his body securely. He flattened his face against Train and curled his arms into him.

Train noticed he left his robot toy next to Creed and questioned him about it. "What about Robot Train?"

Tak looked at the toy, then moved away from his hero a little so it was cuddled against Creed. He smiled proudly. "There. He can hug Creed."

The silver man smiled warmly and placed the toy on his lap. "Thank you, I was beginning to feel lonely over here."

Tak smiled back then resumed his position against Train. Creed took this moment to put on a show he knew the boy enjoyed, even if they didn't. The law student reached over the side of the couch to pick up his discarded school supplies so he could read a little for class. Train decided to pull out his phone and play a game Saya recommended to him.

They remained like that in comfortable silence for a while, Tak occasionally asking Train a random question or laughing at the show he was watching. Creed glanced over at his husband and the child every so often, feeling his heart flutter as he watched his beloved be so tender with the boy. He never lost his patients, never let the boy know he was bored of the show or tired of his questions and instead made sure he looked happy and enthusiastic about everything Tak did or said.

His ears perked when he heard a knock at their door. "That must be your parents." Creed said as he put his book down and stood up to answer the door.

As he walked to the door, he heard Tak whine loudly and Train let out a painful yip. Without looking at them, he knew the boy had started to squeeze Train a little too tightly and his cat wasn't prepared for it. Creed didn't understand why it took his beloved by surprise since Tak did this every time he was about to be picked up.

The silver man smiled when he opened the door to Trish, Dante most likely staying with their car as she picked up their son. Their neighborhood didn't have good parking, so it was a safe assumption to make that he didn't want to get a ticket for illegally parking.

"Hey! I hope he wasn't too much trouble." Trish said as she hugged Creed then walked into their apartment.

Creed closed the door and followed after her. "He never is."

The woman sighed when she saw her son clinging tightly to Train and rubbed her eyes. "Is this gonna be another fight, Tak?" Tak's lack of response meant it was and she looked at Train. "I'm sorry…"

The cat waved his hand in the air. "Don't be. He wouldn't sleep at all today, just so you know."

Trish rolled her eyes. "He never does when he's with you."

Train chuckled and stood up, pulling the small child with him. Creed walked into their room and grabbed the boy's bag, handing it to Tak's mother. She took it quickly and turned back to her son.

"Alright, let's get this over with…"

She reached out her hands to take him, but the boy locked his arms firmly around Train's neck. The cat felt himself struggling to breath a little as Tak tightened his hold on him, moving closer to the child's mother so she could help remove him. When Tak felt his mom grab his waist, he pulled away and pressed harder into Train.

"No! I'm not ready yet!"

Trish rolled her eyes. "If we waited until you were ready we'd never never."

Tak whined loudly. "That's fine. I don't have to."

"Well, I do."

"Then go!" Tak said as he buried his face into Train's shoulder.

Trish growled and became a little more forceful. She grabbed her son's waist firmly and pulled strongly. Train took this opportunity to take hold of Tak's hands that were fastened around his neck and pulled them apart. This made it easier for Trish to take him and she held him tight against her body.

Tak struggled in her grip and tried to reach for Train again, but his mother was faster in her movements towards the door. She knew if she didn't leave quickly, he'd squirm out of her grasp and they'd be back to where they started. Trish thanked them one more time before shutting the door hurriedly, Creed making sure to lock it since the boy had been known to run back in after they left.

Train sighed and collapsed back on the couch, Creed following quickly as he leaned against his beloved. The cat put his arm around his partner's shoulder, giving the silver man more room to move closer.

"We really need to get an apartment with another room if we're going to have company over..." He rubbed his back painfully, feeling a knot forming from the weird sleeping position they shared on the couch while Tak was there.

Train rolled his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch. "We can't afford that right now…" He looked at Creed trying to get a kink out of his back and frowned. "Here, lay down."

Creed blinked at his love as he moved off the couch, but complied. He laid his body down on the couch so his face was pressed against the cushions and his back was facing Train. The cat straddled his waist and began ticking his back delicately.

"Where does it hurt?"

Creed felt himself getting excited again at Train's touch and sighed. "Everywhere…"

Train chuckled and began massaging his partner's back strongly. Creed moaned as he felt his beloved's digit knead his skin carefully, his body relaxing into the couch as Train worked his hands up and down his back.

"That feels good, Love…" Creed knew his voice sounded sensual when he spoke and didn't bother to cover it up. He hoped that would encourage Train to resume the session they had started not long ago.

The golden man smirked deviously when he heard his partner's tone of voice and moved his hands lower until they were close to Creed's hips. He massaged them quickly, then slid his hands between his partner's body and the couch, brushing his fingers between Creed's legs seductively.

The silver man felt himself get hard instantly and he lifted his lower body up a little so Train had better access. The cat took advantage of his changed position and slid his hands down the front of Creed's pants, tracing the base of his shaft gingerly, feeling his husband was ready for him to do more.

Train pulled back and spun Creed over, pressing his lips heatedly against his partner's, putting his hands back down Creed's pants. The law student moaned loudly and wrapped his arms around his beloved's neck, spreading his legs so Train had more room to work.

After a few minutes of Train working his member, he felt a heat pool in his body and mimicked his cat's motions. He slid his lithe hands down Train's pants and pumped at his shaft as well, his heart beating faster when he heard his love gasp into his mouth. Their mouths never parted as they moved their hands quickly against one another, Train feeling a bit of pre-cum escaping Creed's control.

Train smirked and moved his lips to Creed's ear. "I can relax you a different way if you'd like…"

Creed nodded wildly and felt himself twitch as Train's hand moved a little faster against him. The silver man did the same, reveling in the moan his beloved let out. They continued jerking each other off for a bit until Train moved away to pull Creed's pants off. Creed did the same, yanking his husband's pants down as Train straddled his hips. Creed could feel his beloved bare member brush against his and he moaned louder. Before Train did anything else, he kicked his pants off the rest of the way, so he wouldn't have anything else restricting his movements.

Creed gasped when he felt Train move against him again, moving his hands down his cat's back and to his lower body, grabbing his bottom lustfully which made Train smirk. When the cat felt Creed's hand's slide his shirt up so he could place his mouth and tongue against his nipple, he threw his head back and bit his lip, energizing his lower body's movements on Creed urgently. Creed gasped and pushed himself up harder into his beloved, cherishing every movement his cat made against him.

Creed twirled his tongue around Train's chest eagerly, nibbling in gently, knowing exactly what he needed to do to get his husband riled up enough to make love to him. Train pushed the back of Creed's head so his mouth was harder against his chest, feeling the heat in his body swell as he moved his member faster against his husband's. Creed purred and sucked at Train's nipple in response, hoping that would push the man to do more.

It did as Train moved his hands down Creed's back and to his rear's entrance. Creed cried out when he felt Train enter a finger into him, then a second one as his beloved brushed gingerly against his pleasurable spot. The silver man moved his mouth over to Train's other nipple, repeating the same sucking and nipping motions on his beloved's soft skin as he felt Train's shaft throb eagerly against his own. In response, Train entered a third finger into his husband, hitting Creed's sensitive spot over and over as if it were a broken button he was trying to fix. However, this button definitely did work as the law student moaned loudly with every thrust his fingers made.

Finally, Train pulled away and took Creed with him, spinning him so his backside was pushed up and facing him. Creed allowed his cat to move him, even adjusting his body so he was kneeling and his rear was pointed at Train readily. He could feel Train lubricating himself generously, knowing they had put several bottles throughout the apartment for this specific reason and waited fervently for his beloved to enter him.

When he finally did, Creed bit down on the arm of the couch, moaning into the furniture. Even after all the times they had sex, feeling Train enter him was still the most amazing sensation he had ever experienced. He whimpered longingly when Train did not move, deciding to move himself back and forth against his cat, not wanting to wait for the feeling his husband was about to give him.

Train held onto Creed's hips lightly and allowed the man to sway back and forth against him. After a few minutes, Train held Creed still and started moving slowly in and out of his partner, leaning forward a little so he could trial kisses up the silver man's back. Creed moaned quietly as Train grazed his soft spot quickly, his body begging for more.

"Oh, Train…" He whispered, pushing his lower body harder into Train. "Do it again…"

Train followed direction eagerly and brushed against it again. Hearing Creed gasp louder, Train pushed a little harder, making his hips move faster as he hit that spot on repeat. Each time he thrust into his husband he hit his pleasurable forcefully, making Creed cry out loudly as he gripped the arm of the couch harshly to help prevent him from moving too much due to Train's violent thrusts.

His cat had learned Creed's body was used to being ravaged this way and knew he didn't have to be as gentle anymore. This was a wonderful discovery for them both as Train was able to be much more free in his love making. There were no limits anymore, which made everything they were feeling that much better.

Train moved faster inside his husband, gasping his name loudly as he kissed his back again.

"Oh, Creed…" Train moaned, making sure his hips never stopped moving against his partner. "Oh, God… Creed…"

Creed's whole body was on fire as Train said his name. He knew he was reaching his limit, but didn't want his husband to stop just yet. Creed pushed himself up and pulled away from Train, much to the cat's distaste. The golden man tried to reach for him again, knowing he was close to finishing and needing his partner to complete that task.

The silver man smirked and pushed Train down on the couch so he was sitting against the back of it. Creed placed his legs on either side of his beloved, then lowered his body back onto Train. He watched fervidly as his cat gasped loudly when he re-entered Creed, then leaned forward to capture his beloved's lips lustfully. Train pushed Creed's back so his chest was flushed against his and clawed at his skin desperately, plunging his tongue deep into the man's mouth as he began to thrust upwards.

Creed stopped him again and chuckled at Train's sad moan. The silver man moved his lips over to his beloved's ear and whispered seductively.

"I'll take over from here, Love…" He bit Train's ear before moving his lips to his cat's neck, sucking and licking his delicious skin.

The law student moved his body up and down Train slowly, moaning loudly when he heard his husband cry out his name again. Creed moved up and down a few more times, feeling Train's hands finding his hair and gripping it tightly. When Train pulled his locks a little, Creed felt an thrill take over him and he bounced himself faster on top of Train. His beloved cried his name loudly and Creed bit his neck sensually.

"Creed…" His lips brushed against Creed's ear as he said his name again. "Oh, Creed… This feels amazing…"

Creed smirked and kissed his neck again before responding to Train's pleasurable words. "I know, my Love…" He moved his face so it was in front of Train's and looked deep into his eyes. "You feel so good…"

His words made Train inadvertently thrust up into Creed which made the silver man shout his name and latch his lips onto his beloved's supple ones. Creed sped his movements on top of Train and felt his love helping by thrusting up into him a little. This made it nearly impossible for Creed to hold in his release, but he did, not wanting their love making to end.

Creed parted their lips once more so he could see his beloved's golden eyes glazed over in lust. He smiled fondly and caressed Train's cheek.

"Your eyes are so amazing, Train…" He ran his hand through Train's hair, never taking his eyes off his love's golden ones. "They're always so beautiful… But seeing them glossed over in pleasure like this is incredible…"

He moved a little faster moaning when Train thrust up again, hitting his spot over and over. However, he wasn't done telling his husband how marvelous he looked beneath him.

"Your eyes always glow with passion, but when we make love… There's a glorious intensity behind them I can't explain." He kissed his cat's lips lightly, then looked back into his eyes. "I just can't look away… You mesmerize me, my Love. You are such an amazing being, my Cat…I love you so much…"

He moaned when he felt Train gasp loudly and scratch his back earnestly. "Oh, Train…" Creed bounced his body faster, knowing he couldn't hold it in for much longer. "You feel so unbelievably good I can't stand it!"

Train cried out his name and pushed his lips back against Creed's. He knew he was going to cum any minute, but wanted to taste his husband again before that happened. Creed complied and twirled his tongue eagerly in Train's mouth, but pulled away once more so he could finish his thoughts.

"Oh, God, Train, I love you so much!" He moved his body faster and faster, biting Train's lip, then looking deep into his eyes again. "I can't get enough of you, Train… Oh, God, I want more!"

Creed felt the familiar heat building in his gut and knew he was going to cum soon. He kept it in though, since it was his favorite thing to hold it in until Train lost complete control, knowing that meant the orgasm was going to be that much better for them both. However, his own words of wanting more betrayed him as he felt his beloved's powerful, lubricated hand grab his hard member tightly, moving back and forth quickly.

Train kept one hand gripped firmly on Creed's hip, the other pumping furiously against his partner's shaft, smirking wildly when he realized Creed did not expect the added level of pleasure. The cat whispered breathlessly in his ear, knowing his husband was never able to contain himself when he heard Train's voice.

"You want more? I'll give you more..."

Creed had been gripping the back of the couch roughly and felt like he was going to rip a whole into it as Train thrust into him rapidly, using one hand to keep tangled in his silver hair, the other helping Creed bounce faster.

"Oh, Train, your voice is like music!" Creed's vision was beginning to blur with the pleasure he felt, but he needed to hear his love's voice again. "Train… Say my name…"

Train gasped loudly then pressed his ear against his husband's. "I love you, Creed." He moved the silver man faster against him, doing his best to not explode as he kept his body going. "I'm not as poetic as you are… But I can tell you that I love you, Creed."

He shouted into the air again and decided to say one last to Creed when he heard how much pleasure it gave his partner to hear his voice. "And I can tell you how incredible it feels to be inside you…"

Feeling his love's hand working his member skillfully and throb inside of him was too much to handle. He knew the second he heard his cat's voice in his ears he was a goner, but was able to keep it in to hear the rest of what Train said. Finally, he couldn't control himself anymore and felt himself explode forcefully.

"TRAIN!" Creed cried out powerfully, knowing Train had made sure to catch his semen in his hand.

Train removed his hand from Creed's shaft and back to his hip as he moved his husband faster on top of him, knowing the silver man had finished so he began working on himself now. The heat in his body was ready to explode several minutes before he permitted it, but he had never cummed before Creed in the past and he wasn't going to make this time an exception.

"CREED!" With that shout, he finally released inside his husband, collapsing into the couch tiredly.

Creed fell against his love tiredly as well, trying to catch his breath as he felt Train start to pull out of him. He whined and pushed his lower back into his beloved again, always hating the moment Train separated their bodies from each other.

Train laughed and rolled his eyes. Creed did that every time he tried to pull away and while he found it adorable, it was also impossible to stay in that position.

The golden man kissed Creed's forehead, then cuddled against his neck. "You already drained all my life force. What more do you want from me?"

"Everything…" Creed sighed yearingly, wrapping his arms around Train's neck and kissing him deeply.

Train kissed him back, allowing his exhausted body to lay against the couch as they tasted each other contentedly. The cat broke the kiss and looked at his husband's face. He smiled and ran his fingers through Creed's hair, feeling his heart flutter as the man beneath him purred and leaned into his hand. This was one of the small things Creed did that never failed to set Train's heart on fire, and he made sure Creed knew it.

"I love when you do that…"

Creed purred again and kissed Train's fingers. "I know…"

Creed traced his love's face with the tip of his fingers, outlining his cheek and jawline blissfully, cherishing the feel of his husband beneath his touch. He then ran his fingers up to Train's hair, relishing the feel of his silky chocolate locks as they danced against his digits playfully. The silver man gazed into his beloved's eyes peacefully, feeling his heart become weightless when his cat smiled adoringly at him.

"Thank you for saying all that, Creed…" Train was referring to the wonderful things his husband had said to him during their love making and wanted him to know how much his words meant to him. "I wish I could speak as beautifully as you do…"

The silver man giggled and leaned forward to kiss him again. "You don't need to say anything, just keep kissing me…"

Their lips met again as they continued caressing each other gingerly. They fulfilled themselves like this for a while, not feeling the passage of time as they lost themselves in each other's embrace. Not that it really mattered anyway. They didn't have anywhere to be and the hour was growing late so odds of anything breaking them apart were slim. As far as the couple was concerned, they could stay like this forever.

Their time was interrupted when Train heard his phone ringing far too rudely for such a tranquil moment. He ignored it in favor of kissing the man on his lap, sighing happily when he realized whoever it was had gone to voicemail. However, he growled when it went off again, pushing himself away angrily as he went to see who it was.

It was a number he didn't recognize, but he decided to answer it nonetheless. Last time he ignored an unknown number Dante was nearly killed, so he decided not to do that again.

"Hello?" He looked at Creed as he spoke, noticing the silver man was pouting unreasonably fiercely. Train wondered how someone could look so sad and so mad at the same time.

"Is this Officer Heartnet?" The voice was that of a woman.

There was something familiar about her voice that kept him from hanging up. "Ex-officer. But yes, this is Train. Who's this?"

The woman sounded nervous as she spoke. "This is Skylar. I don't know if you remember me or not, but you gave me your number a while ago and asked me to call you if I felt like I couldn't trust the police."

Train thought for a second, then remembered that night he stopped Clark from harassing a helpless woman. "Oh, yeah! I remember. How are you?"

She sighed in relief that he remembered her. "I've… Been better. Can I still trust you to help me where the police have failed?"

Train moved Creed off him, then stood to grab his pants and put them back on. He sat on the couch next to his still pouting husband. "Yeah, you can trust me. What's wrong?"

"Well… You see… My children's father is trying to get them taken away from me. We've been disputing over them for a while, but he recently filed for sole custody and I don't know what to do. I've tried everything and spoken to everyone who could help." She took a breath, realizing she had been talking quickly. "I know I have a record, but his is worse! The only reason he's never been arrested is because his dad is loaded."

Train shook his head. "Wait, so he does or does not have a record?"

She thought about what she said and corrected herself a little. "That's the problem. There is, but there isn't. While we were together I've seen him break the law and get taken in, but he never saw the inside of a cell because of his father. They're trying to use my past against me to say I'm an unfit mother, but the last time I left them with him I came back to find they hadn't eaten or be bathed in days and he was nowhere to be found."

"What?!" Train said a bit too loudly, making Creed jump next to him. The golden man patted his knee apologetically and returned to his phone conversation. The silver man decided to take this minute to put his pants back on as well.

"I stopped letting him see them after that which is why he's doing this. I **know** he has a record somewhere, but his dad must keep paying to get it concealed or something because my lawyer can't find it anywhere. I **swear** even though he's never been arrested there was a record at some point. I don't know why we can't find it."

Train frowned. "Sounds like a real piece of work. Who is this guy?"

"Zander Middleton."

The cat furrowed his brow at that name. It sounded so familiar to him, but he didn't know from where. He sighed, deciding to continue his conversation instead of wracking his brain for a random name.

"I'm sorry, Skylar, but I don't know how I can help. Like I said, I'm not a cop anymore. I no longer have the resources to help you with something like that..."

The woman desperately began begging Train. "Isn't there **anything** you can do? He's a monster! While his kids were starving, he was off doing God knows what and his parents never even thought about giving their grandchildren that money for food. Instead, they kept bailing him out."

Train was silent and Creed noticed. The silver man leaned against his love to give him comfort and try to hear more of the conversation. The golden man sighed and leaned his elbows on his knees, using his hand unoccupied, he rubbed his eyes, not sure what to say to the woman. However that name kept ringing in his head like a bad song.

"Hold on, Skylar."

Train leaned over Creed and crawled across the couch a little, laying on his partner's lap as he rummaged on the side of the couch for something. "Creed, where's your laptop?"

Creed blinked at his love whose feet were kicked in the air next to his head slightly. "Why?"

"I need to look something up. Where is it?"

The silver man sighed and reached under the couch, pulling it out and handing it to Train. I started putting it here when I finished my work because you kept almost stepping on it."

Train glared at his husband, rolled over on his back, and took the technology. "Maybe if you didn't keep things on the floor, I wouldn't step on them."

Creed rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk. How many pairs of socks and pants am I constantly picking up because you refuse to put them in the laundry basket?"

"Dirty clothes belong on the floor! Expensive technology does not!" Train opened the tech on his lap, blocking his view of Creed while he held the phone against his ear with his cheek.

Creed pinched Train's leg that was resting on his lap, smirking wickedly when Train yelped and moved the laptop's screen down to see him. The cat went back to his business and Creed decided to rub his love's feet instead of continuing to tease him.

"You said his name was Zander Middleton?" The golden man ignored the woman's snickers at their petty argument as he brought up a search engine.

"Yes. Zander with a Z, not an X."

Train nodded even though he knew Skylar couldn't hear that and typed in the name. Immediately thousands of his social media pages popped up and Train felt his eyes widen.

"I know this guy!"

Creed looked at his cat while his hands remained working at his feet and Skylar nearly dropped the phone at the volume of his voice.

"How?!" She asked breathlessly.

Train turned the screen around so Creed could see too. The silver man cocked an eyebrow, not sure why his love thought he would know him.

Train didn't care about either of their confusion and turned the computer back to begin clicking on different links. "I arrested this guy once. Well, I **tried** to arrest him. I caught him about to walk into a church with a loaded gun. He was released the next day after our station received an anonymous donation and no charges were filed."

Now Creed's eyes widened as realization hit him. He mouthed his shock to his partner and Train heard Skylar gasp loudly.

"He did **what**?!"

Train sounded confused as he looked up more information about the guy. "You didn't know that?"

"What church was it?!"

"Prospect Hope Church. It's in Hillwood on-"

"-Seventh street I know… When did this happen?"

Train could hear her voice starting to shake and crack as she spoke. "It was a few years ago. Probably about two at this point."

"I-I know it's probably hard to remember, but do you know what time of year it was? Or what day?"

The cat scratched his head in thought. "Why does that matter?"

"Please…" She whispered.

Train felt a growing pity for the woman, he responded. "I know it was a Sunday because there were a lot of cars in the lot. I assumed the inside was packed. It was summertime, I believe. I was sweating like a dog when I tackled him before he got inside."

Skylar was quiet which worried Train. "Skylar? You there?"

He heard her fumble with the phone then stutter her response. "Y-yes… I'm here."

Train couldn't ignore the fear in her voice so he pushed a little more. "What's wrong? Why did you need to know all that?"

He heard her swallow, then take a deep breath. "Two years ago he attacked me and then began stalking me. No one would take me seriously when I tried to get a restraining order against him. Money talks, you know? So, it was easy for them to fight that."

"Did you try to press charges?"

"No. What was the point? I knew he'd hire the best lawyer in town and I'd lose my kids." She paused, then held back a sob. "Though it looks like I might lose them anyway…"

Something clicked in Train's head and he had to get confirmation from the woman. "Skylar… Were you in the church that day?"

Her silence was the only response Train needed and he felt an unstoppable fury rise inside him. Another thought occurred to him and he looked up the church on a satellite website he had learned about while on the force. The cat smirked when he noticed what store was across the street from the church.

"I'm gonna help you, Skylar. Just by looking at his **many** social media accounts I can tell what kind of company he likes to keep. Even if I can't get the report I filed against him for that day at the church, I can certainly find stuff on his friends. He has **a lot** of pictures of himself with known violent criminals. Also…" He zoomed in on the store, remembering the cashier he ran into there. "I've already got a strong connection with the locals."

Skylar sobbed her thanks and Train hung up. He got to work immediately. The golden man started by searching the names of all the people he knew on Zander's social pages that had been arrested and even looked up records for people he didn't recognize. He wasn't surprised at the long list of people Zander had been in contact with that had been arrested for something serious at one point.

He texted Dante as well, not sure if they were still awake after picking up their son. Not long ago the cat found out that the cashier that told Train where the Gotos lived was his brother. Train also remembered he had extra security surrounding his store, so he was hoping the man was smart enough to put cameras outside and maybe he had caught something from that day. There were also a lot of people who were recording Train's encounter with the man, and now that he had a lot of connection with that community, he was hopeful that he would be able to get some video evidence.

Creed watched as his beloved typed away frantically and smiled. "Are you playing private eye now, Love?"

Train smirked when his partner said that. There was something about that title that encouraged him to dig deeper into these people. After finding a few more pages of information, Train fumbled under the couch again, hoping Creed had put his laptop bag under there as well. Seeing he did he smiled and dug into the many pockets.

"What are you looking for now?" Creed kept rubbing Train's legs with one hand while his other hand found his book again and started reading.

Train frowned as he emptied the pockets inelegantly. "Flash drive. Don't you have like a million?"

Creed sighed and took the bag. "Yes. For whatever reasons, they give them away like candy at my school. A lot of them aren't really good, but they get the job done."

He found one that he knew was empty and handed it to his beloved. Train took it eagerly, shoved it into the laptop and moved some files over to it. Creed tried to go back to reading his book, but found he was too distracted by what his husband was doing.

"Train, seriously, what are you doing?" Creed put his book down so he could look fully at his cat.

Train didn't look at him as he kept typing, but answered him nonetheless. "I think I can dig up enough dirt on this guy to help Skylar keep her kids. If I can get the footage I need and the report I filed all those years ago from the station, I can-"

"-Train, I know you want to help, but you really shouldn't go back to that station…" Creed felt anxiety rise in him at the thought of his beloved going back to the place that caused him nothing by pain.

Train smiled at his husband and patted his knee. "I won't have to. I'll get Kanon to come to me with the files."

"And how do you think you'll accomplish that? You put one of his favorite cops behind bars and the other is still attending gun safety training."

Creed remembered Sephiria telling him Clark was still not permitted back on the force until he completed various training and workshops. The man had been putting them off, so it was taking longer than it should have to be reinstated.

Train pulled out the flash drive and closed his partner's laptop. "Because, despite everything, deep down Kanon isn't a bad guy. Plus, he still owes me for ignoring what I was being put through under his watch. I don't think he'll say no to helping me out."

Creed watched as his cat put his laptop away and walked into their room to find his shoes. He had a feeling he knew what Train was doing. "Train, it's late. Where do you think you're going?"

He spoke loudly so Creed could hear him from the other room. "The library. I need to print some things out."

The silver man glanced at the clock. "It's not opened anymore, Love… Can't you just do this tomorrow?"

"No. I have enough juice to do it now."

Creed sighed and followed his cat into their bedroom. He walked up behind his love, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing the back of his head lovingly. "Train, be honest. Why do you have to do it now?"

Train stopped and thought about what he said. He knew he could be a bit impulsive and he made a promise to Creed to always think before he acted. Which is what he tried to do now.

"I… Guess I don't know…"

Creed smiled and kissed him again, wrapping his arms tighter around him. "It's because you want to help, I know that. But you won't get anything done at this hour. We'll go tomorrow."

Train glanced at the man who rested his head on his shoulder. "We?"

Creed nodded his head. "Last time I let you go help someone by yourself, you nearly died. You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you alone to play super hero again."

Train was about to protest, but Creed turned him around and kissed him deeply to prevent his objection. He pulled back and caressed his love's cheek, smiling fondly into his eyes.

"You can't win this fight. I'm going with you." He glanced out the window to the dark night's sky and frowned. "But… Like I said tomorrow. For now, let's sleep. We've had a long day."

* * *

The first stop they made the next day was the library to print out the documents Train had found on Zander and his acquaintances. During this time, the cat had managed to get a message to Kanon and was waiting for his response. They had enough to do until then and it took up most of the day. Train brought them to the store where they met with Dante's brother and were given the recording of that day at the church. The couple made sure to watch it entirely, to see exactly what had happened.

Creed couldn't help but swoon when he saw his beloved tackle the shooter. Watching the video was like watching his cat protect him in high school. It was very nostalgic for Creed, and he made sure Train knew it. However, his beloved was too preoccupied to really register the silver man's adoring words. Dante's brother remembered that day and put them in contact with a few others who recorded the event as well.

That's what they were doing now. Creed was leaning against his cat watching the video on a teenager's phone. They had watched a similar video on a middle aged man's phone along with a young woman's. The law student couldn't help but be impressed by how many people thought to take out their phone and record the event.

Curious about that, Creed decided to question the teen. "May I ask, why is it that so many people decided to record this?" Law school taught him to ask a lot of questions.

The boy, named Jacob, looked at Creed over his milkshake. The couple had agreed to buy him one if he let them see his phone. His feet were up on the table in the small ice cream parlor, much to Creed's repulsion.

"Actually, we were recording **this guy** -" He pointed to Train who didn't seem to notice they were talking. The cat was too focused on the video. "We've learned that we need to record any encounters with police since there is a high chance things will get **really** bad **really** fast."

Creed growled at the boy's lack of respect for Train. " **That guy's** name is **Train**. Don't forget that…"

Train elbowed his partner slightly, hinting at him to calm down. He then looked up and noticed the kid's feet were on the table. With one swift motion, he knocked his feet off the table and gave him a stern look.

"You can treat me however you want, but don't disrespect Monica's business."

The ice cream parlor they were in belonged to another woman in the neighborhood Train had gotten to know a little bit during his time as a police officer. She was always very kind to him and Train always made sure to pay her a visit on her shift and get ice cream. This place seemed to be a safe haven for a lot of people in town, which is why he chose to come here.

_Also, she really does have the best ice cream._

Train took a sip of his milkshake, glancing at the woman who smiled thankfully at him for putting the kid in his place.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like I'm gonna take orders from a cop…"

Train slammed his hand down. "First, I'm not a cop anymore, so shut up about that. Second, I know there's a lot of really dirty, corrupt, and dumbass cops out there, but if you show this level of disrespect to one, you better believe you're going to get shot."

When he saw the boy roll his eyes again, he sighed in frustration. "Listen… I know it's not fair, but until there's a real change, you need to learn how to talk to cops. I think it's great you've been taught to record encounters with them, but if you even so much as roll your eyes at the wrong one, you're done. I'd hate to see a kid with so much potential have his life cut short."

The teen slumped in his seat and looked away from Train's harsh gaze. "Right, like I'm really ever going to become anything."

Train eyed him seriously. "We may not look it, but both men sitting in front of you came from nothing. We also both almost had our lives ended too soon and if that taught me anything, it's life is too short to be a pessimistic ass. You may not see your worth, but I do. I wouldn't be having this conversation with you if I didn't."

Creed felt his heart flutter at his beloved's words and hoped they'd have somewhat of the same effect on the boy. Looking at Jacob's disposition, he could tell it did, although he tried not to show it. Like a classic teen, he rolled his eyes subtly and grumbled to himself, but it was clear he appreciated Train's words.

The golden man put the teen's phone down and looked at him fully. "This video is the best we've seen. Mind if I send it to myself?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders, then nodded his head. "Sure, whatever…"

Train had already started doing it before he answered, then slid the kid his device back. He also handed him a piece of paper with his name and contact information on it. Creed couldn't help notice Train had done that with every person he spoke to today.

"Make sure you call me if you ever need anything. I'm here to help." He gave the boy a sincere smile, waiting for him to respond.

The boy took the paper wearily, then nodded and stuffed it in his pocket. Jacob did not respond and instead left the parlor, leaving his empty glass on the table. Monica came to clean it up, smiling kindly at Train and thanking him again for defending her business. Before she walked away, Train grabbed her arm.

"Do you mind if I leave this stack of flyers with my contact information on it? If you're not comfortable with it, don't worry about it."

She nodded and took the stack he was referring to. Train printed these out as well while they were at the library. "Anything for my best customer. You looking to start a private eye business?"

Before he could answer, Creed spoke up. "Yes, he is. We're going to call it Black Cat Sweeper Service. There will be more official business cards we can bring back later."

The cat looked at his husband in confusion, but wasn't given the moment to respond as Monica nodded at the name. "I like it. Kind of like he's gonna sweep up the neighborhood?"

Creed nodded and motioned for Train to stand up so they could leave. He bid the woman farewell and walked out with his beloved, smiling proudly.

Train, however, was lost as to what just happened. "What the hell was that, Creed?"

The silver man kissed his cheek, then took his hand as they made their way down the street. "Getting you a new job. Not just a new job, a new business. You won't have to answer to anyone but yourself which I know is a huge deal for you. Plus, I can see how happy you are helping these people out."

The cat frowned as he was practically dragged by the man. "I'm not charging any of these people, though… And I don't intend to…"

"And that's fine. Even if I didn't want to, I'll be working for Sephiria which means you can do anything you want."

Train sighed and caught up to his partner so he wasn't being pulled anymore. "Creed… I know I joke about you supporting me, but you really don't have to. I'll get a real job soon, I promise."

Creed shook his head. "This is a real job. It may take a while for business to pick up, but do you have any idea how many law firms hire private detectives? Or how many rich people want someone to trail an unfaithful spouse or find their lost child? Private eyes don't have to follow the same rules the police do, so you'll have more freedom to help people as **you** see fit."

Train was going to protest again and Creed stopped walking to face him, putting a finger against his lips before he could speak. "Train… I know you. You love the freedom to choose and you want others to have that same freedom. You are the most kindhearted person I have ever met and all you want is for everyone to be happy."

Creed ran his fingers through his love's hair and smiled warmly. "You're selfless and strong willed, which is why you've never been settled in a job before. You always end up doing something you believe is morally right, or you just flat out disobey orders which either gets you in trouble, fired, or you leave. I know this is the right path for you. You'll get to help people for whatever cost you deem fit, even if it's nothing. You'll be your own boss and be able to have freedom and grant people their own."

Train returned his husband's smile then kissed him. Creed wrapped his arms around Train's neck as he pulled him closer, treasuring the feel of his cat's warm skin against the cold night air. It had grown dark since they'd been out, and his beloved felt so good against his chilled lips, the scent of his love and the crisp fall air entering his nostrils deliciously. Train's chocolate locks danced between his caressing fingers delicately, making Creed's heart burn with desire as he rummaged through them blissfully.

When Train finally pulled away, he gave his partner another curious look. "Why the name?"

Creed blinked. "What?"

Train laughed. "The name of the business. I get the sweeper part and even the cat part, but why a **black** cat? Aren't those usually bad luck?" He ran his fingers through Creed's hair, smiling as his husband purred against his motion. "I don't know about you, but I've always believed I've been a pretty lucky guy."

Creed giggled knowing he was referring to their relationship. "Yes, you've always been lucky, Even before me, I'd say despite what life has thrown at you, you've always managed to get out unscathed. The name is in reference to the people you will be sweeping."

Train frowned. "I still don't get it."

Creed held his love's hand against his cheek and swooned at the warmth it gave him. "You'll be bringing them bad luck."

Train smirked at that. "Yeah… I like that. That can be the motto."

Train took his husband's hand and ran to the bus he saw quickly approaching. They made it just in time and were fortunate to find seats next to each other. Train felt his partner shaking a little from the cold, so he wrapped his tight in his arms. Creed leaned into him and sighed peacefully, falling asleep for the ride back home.

They arrived quicker than he hoped for and groaned when his beloved woke him. He was grateful Train allowed him to lean fully against him, his cat practically carrying him into their apartment. Creed rested his head against his husband's shoulder and fantasized about sleeping next to the man. When he felt Train stop suddenly, he lifted his head and squinted at a person standing at their apartment door. He didn't recognize her, but his love seemed to.

Still half asleep, he decided since Train's voice didn't sound worried and his body didn't tense that it was okay if he didn't hear what they were saying. It wasn't a long conversation as whoever she was handed his love something, then left quickly. Creed wrapped his arms around Train's neck tiredly and opened his eyes to see his cat was holding an envelope.

"What's that?" Creed said, yawning as he tried to wake himself up enough to reach for his keys to open the door.

He felt Train's hand stop him as he opened the door instead. The cat led Creed inside and to their room, all while smiling wildly. Creed strained to listen to his love tell him what the woman had given him, but he found it harder to do when Train pulled the blankets over him and kissed his forehead. Figuring Train would tell him in the morning, he fell asleep, mumbling his love for Train before he did.

The cat smiled tenderly at his partner, kissing his forehead once more before he opened the document he was given. He knew what it was the moment the woman gave it to him. Train knew her as the front desk operator at the station. She explained that Kanon told her to go to his apartment when her shift ended and commanded her not to leave until she handed the papers to Train specifically. She wasn't to leave them in a mailbox or slide them under any doors. They were to only be left in the hands of the cat.

Reading through the pages, he felt a happiness drift over him. This was more information than he hoped for. Apparently, Kanon had a lot more on Zander than he knew and the man had quite a rap sheet. This was more that he needed to help Skylar out and he knew how lucky he was for being able to acquire truths the man's father paid so much money to keep hidden.

_Not lucky for him though…_

As he sat at the end of the bed next to his sleeping husband he turned to the man and smiled.

"You're right… You know me so well, Silver Dollar." Train leaned forward and kissed his lips lightly, chuckling when Creed smiled and said his name wistfully. "Thank you for always believing in me."

He kicked his shoes off and curled up next to his partner. Train wrapped his arm around Creed's waist, pulling the silver man's back against the front of his body. He felt his partner sigh cordially and move back closer to him. The cat was still amazed at how active Creed could be in his sleep when it came to Train's presence.

Still smiling, Train rested his face against Creed's neck, tightening his arm around him as he let his eyes shut. He sighed contentedly, kissing his partner's neck before joining Creed in his harmonious slumber.

* * *

Another six months had passed and Creed had finally graduated. Once again, he was top of his class, except this time he was able to give his valedictorian speech. He didn't really want to, but Train insisted he do it since he didn't get a chance to last time. However, after seeing how enthusiastic his beloved was in the audience, it made it worthwhile.

While his classmates had their fair share of cheers and support, nothing compared to when Creed finished his speech and his cat jumped on the stage and gave him a big kiss before they even got a chance to throw their caps in the air. And then when they did, Train kissed him again. It was one of the most beautiful moments of Creed's life right behind when Train confessed his feelings to him and the first time they made love.

_And let's not forget that amazing moment when he proposed even though we were already married._

Creed looked down at his hand as he walked down the street, thumbing the ring on his finger elegantly. He smiled splendidly and spun around once quickly, his heart filling with all the magnificent memories he and his cat shared.

Creed was currently on his way to see his cat, but since he got to town early, he wanted to make a few pit stops first. Train was always running late anyway, so he probably wouldn't be ready on time. Train also told Creed he had a graduation surprise for him that he had planned around their visit to their old home.

That's where Creed was now. They had gone to where they lived during their childhood and teenage years for a few days. There was a huge festival in town and all their friends had come back for it. This festival had always been a big deal and Creed remembered the town being packed at this time of the year every year.

He had gone a few times, but it was always depressing to go by yourself. There were a lot of things for couples and families to do, but not single men. When he became friends with Train their senior year, he didn't have the courage to ask Train to go with him. This would be the first time he went under happy circumstances.

The festival was a weekend long event, so his cat got there a couple days before him to 'prepare' as he put it to Creed. It was really hard for Creed to be away from his beloved for even two days, but Sephiria told Creed she wanted to meet with him about working for her law firm. He already said yes a while back, but they needed to go through some last minute details. She had just recently opened up a new practice and she wanted Creed to run it. It was a huge ask of her, but she was confident he could handle it.

Creed was going to be the youngest lawyer to run such an influential law firm. However, she was giving him time to relax a little after graduating. She knew first hand how difficult law school was, and on top of all that, he had been through so much she figured he could use a break before starting such a demand job.

The money was going to be good, though. He talked to Train about buying a house instead of renting a small apartment. While his cat didn't like the idea of living somewhere big, he agreed they needed more space if they were going to keep babysitting Tak.

Luckily, they wouldn't have to move far since the new firm Sephiria had opened was very close to where they already lived. This was good because his beloved was starting to get more work as a private eye in their area. After he helped Skylar get custody of her children, word of his sleuthing heroics spread like wildfire and jobs were coming in left and right. Train even had to get a laptop for himself so he wouldn't keep taking Creed's and the silver man promised to get him more tech once he was settled in his job.

Train hadn't really been paid for a lot of his jobs. In fact, he mostly was sent home with home cooked meals and offers of household repairs. They knew that was going to change soon. Sephiria was impressed with his detective skills after Train had brought her Skylar's case and helped him get a jump start on his career.

" _You found all this information on your own?" Sephiria was looking through the documents Train had proudly presented her._

_He nodded. "Yup! Well, apparently I've made a lot of connections throughout the town and gained a lot of trust from its citizens, so people were more than willing to give me anything extra I needed on this dirt bag."_

_Sephiria watched the fourth video he had of him tackling Zander before he went into the church with a loaded gun. "Honestly, this might be all we need. Courts normally grant custody of children to the woman anyway. The only reason Skylar was in the opposite position is because the Middleton's are rich. They have enough money to buy the kids if they wanted."_

_Train rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, but they can't pay for their food while their son is off committing hundreds of crimes."_

_He was still shocked how many laws his guy had broken. The church wasn't the first time he'd be caught with a loaded gun. He had even been accused of shooting an ex lover which sent chills down Train's spine, knowing Skylar and her children were in church that Train stopped him. If he hadn't stepped in, she might not be alive today._

_Creed frowned and rubbed his beloved's knee, not sure what to say to make him feel better. His cat cared so much about the less fortunate people in their town and it broke Creed's heart to see him so upset._

" _How does someone get away with_ _ **this much**_ _crap and never see the inside of a cell?" It sickened Train that people like Dante and Skylar were constantly in trouble with the law over stupid stuff while Zander could walk around town with a loaded gun and shoot people like it was nothing._

_Sephiria sighed. "Money talks, Train…"_

_Creed pulled Train's hand to his lips and kissed his fingers delicately. "It's okay, Love. Sephiria will take care of it."_

_The lawyer smirked. "In due time,_ _ **we'll**_ _be taking care of it."_

_Creed returned her smirk and looked at his husband adoringly. "You did an_ _ **amazing**_ _job, Love. Remember what I said about law firms using private detectives? This is what I was talking about."_

_Sephiria nodded as she looked through the layers of evidence Train put in front of her. "Amazing is an understatement. Considering you collected this much in a few days is beyond impressive. It's nearly impossible for most people. I usually have a whole team of people working on stuff like this."_

_Train smiled charmingly. "People don't tend to say no to me when I ask for something. Call it luck."_

_Creed ran a hand through his hair. "I call it charm and good looks."_

" _Charm and good looks definitely help, but there is certainly a level of skill here. I also won't lie and say if you didn't get lucky. But, seeing everything you've survived, I never had any doubts at how lucky you are." She turned to the criminal record Train got from his old captain. "And the fact that you were able to get this is incredible. Kanon could get himself in trouble by not producing this sooner."_

_Train nodded. "We talked about that. Is it possible to protect him? He's not a bad guy and I think the whole Edo and Clark incident has opened his eyes a little. He fired Clark and is beginning to change the way his station works."_

_It was a small gesture in the grand scheme of things that needed to be changed about the system, but it was at least a step in the right direction. Train's gut was telling him if he stuck around a bit longer, Kanon might be able to make some bigger changes further down the road. The fact he gave up Zander's record so easily helped cement that in his head._

_Sephiria looked at Train a bit wearily, then nodded. "I think I can manage that." She finally put the paperwork down so she could look at Train fully. "You know, your husband is right. A lot of law firms hire private eyes all the time. They have the ability to get more done because they are less restricted by protocol."_

_Creed smiled and looked at his cat. "See? You're made for this."_

_Sephiria nodded in agreement. "Yes, from the bit that I've seen here, you certainly are Train." Her look became a bit more serious as she made eye contact with the golden man. "You know, at first I was only interested in your partner… But I think we could make use of you as well."_

_Train blinked at her. "What do you mean?"_

_She smirked. "Once Creed gets started at the new firm, how about you team up with him in some cases?"_

_Creed smiled widely and clutched his beloved's arm tightly. "You mean, like partners?!"_

_Sephiria laughed quietly. "Yeah, you could say that. Train wouldn't technically be working for the law firm, but we'd pay him to find information. And with you running the firm, you'd be working together pretty much all the time."_

_The silver man turned to his love. "It'd be like in high school. We'd be partners again!" Creed didn't really care about everything else Sephiria said. In his mind, they would be partners in their relationship and in their work._

_Train couldn't help but laugh at his excited husband who clung desperately to his arm and gazed hopefully in his eyes. He caressed Creed's cheek and spoke to Sephiria._

" _Yeah… I think I'd like that. I can't get enough of this guy anyway. Working with him just means I get more time with him."_

_Sephiria rolled her eyes. "You two are quite the match…" She started gathering all the papers and put them into her briefcase. "You'll start getting more jobs when Creed gets my practice up and running. Until then, I believe you have enough from your severance left to pay the bills?"_

_Train nodded and turned back to her. He noticed she was leaving and needed to know one more thing before she left. "Sephiria… Will Skylar be okay?"_

_She smiled kindly. "With your help, yes." She patted his shoulder. "You did a good job, Train. You should be proud of yourself."_

_With that she left just as quickly as she came. Creed continued gushing about his future with Train and the cat allowed him to rant. Since they were sitting in a restaurant, Train decided to order food. He had a feeling they were going to be there awhile. Creed tended to lose control himself when he talked about their future together._

Now, it was only a matter of time until they were both working for a paycheck. Creed was over the moon knowing they'd be partners again. What made it even better was how happy Train was at the idea as well. He smiled blissfully as he swayed wistfully down the street.

_We really have come a long way..._

As he walked, memories of his past began to resurface. Creed was walking down the street that led to their high school and he could see the ghosts of their past selves walking to class.

_"You're lying."_

_"W-what…?" After a few blinks and gaps of his mouth, Train was finally able to speak again. "N-no, it's true. They—" Train was cut off by Creed's stare. "Creed… I—"_

_A violent cough stopped his words. He turned away from Creed and covered his mouth. Before the Cat knew what was happening, his feet were lifted from the ground momentarily until he found his body being fully supported by another._

_The spiky haired teen looked up at Creed who was blushing furiously, his eyes holding a look of purpose and potency. His friend began to lug him forward and away from the school. After a few seconds of walking without talking, Train finally spoke._

_"Where are you going, Creed?"_

_"To your house." Creed stopped, as if something had occurred to him. "Which way?"_

_The thin boy was good at playing ignorant. Train couldn't know that he already knew where he lived._

_"I already told you, we're not going there. We can't."_

_"Why?"_

_Train was taken aback by Creed's question. Anything he said he knew Creed wouldn't believe and the boy seemed determined to get Train home._

_With a sigh, Train finally caved in. "That way."_

Creed could see himself dragging his stubborn cat along the sidewalk. That was the first time he had ever seen the inside of Train's apartment and his heart broke for his cat. However, that was also technically the first night they spent together. Creed had cleaned out his account to buy Train every medicine he could and nursed him back to health. That was also the first time he saw his beloved with his shirt off.

He blushed at the image, then laughed at himself. Back then, he would have killed for any glimpse at Train's body. Now, all he had to do was put on his innocent, sweet, loving eyes and his love would turn to putty in his hands. Although, he knew he wasn't one to talk about his control over Train. All the cat had to do was exist and Creed couldn't keep his hands to himself.

The silver man continued walking down the street until he reached their school. He stood in front of the courtyard they always met at before school started. He saw himself hiding behind a tree, watching his love from afar, reaching out longingly for Train. He watched as Saya flirted with an oblivious Train, grabbing his arm and laughing at his jokes.

Again, he had to laugh at his past self. The jealousy he felt back then may have felt warranted at the time, but now it seemed silly. Saya was one of his closest friends and his biggest advocate for his and Train's relationships. He wished he could go back in time and tell his teenage self to stop stressing. That he would have Train and Saya would be cheering them on with a new love on her arm. He couldn't help but feel guilty at the extra time he missed out on his friendship with the woman.

He also saw ghosts of Kyoko jumping on Train and knocking him to the ground. Creed then saw himself pulling her off angrily and whispering coldly into her ear. The silver man cringed when he saw his teenage self hug a very unwilling and uncomfortable Train. That was back when he first confessed to his cat and Train was still getting used to it. He felt a pang of shame knowing his love was annoyed by the unwanted embrace.

Creed shook his head so he wouldn't fall down the rabbit hole of doubting Train's feelings for him. This was so long ago now and had no relevance to their relationship today. Instead, he let his mind drift to memories he and Train shared with their friends in this yard that were more pleasant. He saw Train giving him a noogie while Creed blushed wildly and Saya laughed. He saw Eve and Sven hold hands while they thought no one was looking. And he watched as Train grabbed his arm and ran into the building with him, remembering fondly how they often ran late because of their tomfoolery.

He glanced at his phone for the time and saw he still had plenty. He walked up to the school, wondering if he could get inside. Chances were he couldn't, but at least he could look into the window. Seeing he was correct, he stepped behind some bushes and peaked in the building. He could see he and Train's locker from here and smiled. Creed sighed as he watched images of himself being dragged down the hallway by a racing Saya and Train.

_"Is that a challenge,_ _**m'am** _ _?"_

_Saya scowled. "Let's do this…"_

_The two mischievous friends tightened their hold on their bags along with their hold on Creed. The poor boy being dragged broadened his eyes and tried to break free._

_"Hey! Wait! I'm still here you know!" Creed didn't understand how racing with him would work at all. Wouldn't it be a tie…?_

_Neither of them seemed to listen and began their race, still not releasing their old on the poor silver child._

_"We passed our class! Stop! Please!"_

_Finally, they came to a halt. However, Train had come to a halt first and, since he was bigger than both Creed and Saya, stopped his two friends as well. Creed felt a tug at his arm which then caused a tug at Saya's arm. The boy went flying towards Train, face planted into the much desired chest._

_The force of the impact caused Creed's hands to go flying around his beloved's waist, embracing him in a hug. Creed was unaware of his current position at first since he was too busy catching his breath. When he was calm enough to look up and assess his situation, his face turned a bright shade of red. He buried his face into his hero, hoping the brunette didn't see the look in his eyes._

_"I win!" Train yelled in Saya's direction. The golden boy tugged at Creed's silver locks, pulling his head up so that they were eye to eye. "Sorry about that. Saya and I tend to get carried away when a challenge is presented."_

_Creed's face had a look of sheer admiration. Want and pleasure were waltzing with one another in his eyes, Train completely oblivious to the dance. Masculine fingers met silver locks, messing up Creed's already messy hair._

_The warmth Train's body emitted was like walking into a room lit only by the dim tenderness of the fireplace and wrapping yourself in a blanket fresh from the dryer. Train's hair was the coco you sipped and his eyes were the amber of the twirling flames in the fireplace. His scent was the cookies being baked while his skin was the marshmallows that floated freely above the coco._

He felt himself blush again. That had been the first time he embraced his cat that closely, but it was so early on in their friendship the moment meant nothing to Train. However, to Creed, it meant everything. He had gone home and replayed it over and over in his head, even used it in the many fantasies he had of Train. Well… Still has of Train. Only now, he was able to make those fantastic a reality.

Creed giggled and peered down the hallway, seeing his beloved's locker and smiled as a slightly younger form of his beloved dug through his pile of papers uselessly. He saw himself flirting very obviously with Train, poking his nose and gazing at him adoringly. Creed laughed when Train sputtered and batted his hand away, going back to digging through his mess of a locker.

Even when he watched Baldor approach and the aggressive encounter between him and his love ensued, Creed still smiled. He knew this ended in him taking a punch for his cat and being able to be in his arms. While Train felt guilty about what happened, Creed thought of that moment fondly, knowing it was the first time his beloved had ever carried him in his arms. The pain didn't matter at all if he could be that close to his cat.

Glancing into one of the rooms he recognized at Tanaka's he allowed another memory to play in his head.

_"You want a staring contest or something?"_

_Creed blinked rapidly at Train's question, "N-no…"_

_"Then what's with all the staring?"_

_He seemed at a loss for words and instead chose to open his book and pull out a pen._

_"I-if it's okay with you, I-I've actually already picked a topic for us," he stammered, continuing to write._

_Train blinked at the teen in front of him. "That quick? She just gave them to us two minutes ago. How'd you decide so fast?"_

_Creed crossed something out, or at least pretended to, and wrote something else back down. "I talked to the sensei beforehand and learned about the assignment. I had more time to pick one out."_

_Train scratched his head in confusion. "Why'd you talk to her about the project so soon?"_

_Creed paused. He seemed to be trying to think up an answer, but was having trouble doing so. The pale boy began to sweat slightly and his face showed clear signs of worry._

_"You don't gotta tell me if you don't wanna, it's cool. Let's just get to work. Which one did you choose?"_

_Creed blinked as he lifted his head to meet Train's gaze. "You're… gonna go with whatever I picked…?"_

_"Sure, why not? It's not like you've done something to make me distrust you." He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as he spoke, "Besides, I didn't have any idea which one to pick anyway. I actually wanted the other person to pick the topic, less pressure for me. Doesn't matter to me which one we do."_

_Train leaned forward again, ripping out a piece of paper from his notebook and grabbing his pen. "So, which one did you choose?"_

_Seeing as the boy was staring again, his eyes holding that twinkling happiness, Train waved his hand in an attempt to snap him out of it._

_"You zone a lot. I hope that doesn't affect our project," Train said in a joking manner._

_Creed's face turned determined. "Don't worry, Train, I won't fail. I don't allow myself to fail."_

_"That's the spirit! I guess I get why you're the top of the class." Train leaned forward and ruffled his hair, "Good to have someone like you as a partner."_

_Creed's face turn beat read again as Train's fingers ran across his hair. "I chose sensei's third option: pick your own and have it approved by her. I decided to do the history of the samurai."_

_"Hmm… That's actually pretty good. I think I can get interested in that."_

_Creed was blushing again. "You… really like that idea?"_

_"Yeah, I like it. I think that's a cool topic. What made you want to do it?"_

_The pale face was still slightly red, but he smiled brightly, apparently happy at Train's acceptance. "Well… I've always been interested in swords and… the samurai fighting style… I just find it… fascinating…"_

_Train chuckled. "Yeah, we should be able to find a lot of stuff on that. Plus, I like it. Good choice, partner."_

_The silver haired boy smiled as he opened his book, flipping through the pages hurriedly. After a few minutes he stopped, landing on a certain page. He pointed to the open book and smiled at Train._

_"You've already made notes?"_

_Creed nodded. "Our assigned book has tons of stuff. I read it real quick before class and learned a lot from that."_

_"Was that before those goons attacked you?"_

_The pale boy stared at the paper before him, motionless and silent. His eyes looked distant, as if he was watching something he wished he didn't see._

_"Actually… it was the reason it happened…" His voice was hesitant, as if he was afraid to talk. "Baldor and them… they were… teasing me cause I was reading. I read a lot, I'm in the library a lot. So… they poke fun at me for it…"_

_"Well, I think it's a good thing you read a lot."_

_Creed looked at him skeptically. Train gave him a friendly smile and continued, "For one thing, it got you to the top of the class, right?"_

_The silver teen smiled embarrassingly and shyly looked away, "I… guess…"_

_"Of course it did! Also, it makes it easy for you to get around the library, right? So, we won't have to spend hours searching for information. Plus, I bet you've read up on this before, since it interests you. And, it's good for me since—"_

_"You don't like reading?" Creed asked, looking curiously back at him._

_Train smiled, ashamed. "Yeah, not my style… Never had the attention span for it…" He blinked, realizing Creed had finished his sentence for him, "Wait, how'd you know I don't like reading?"_

_Creed's face turned red again, and he went back to highlighting and making notes. "S-sensei's already approved this topic for me. So, if you like it, we're set."_

_As if sensing Creed's tension, the bell went off, signaling for the next class to start and cutting Train off before he could question Creed anymore. Shrugging his shoulders, the golden eyed boy flipped his legs back around the desk and gathered his materials._

_Train smiled and offered him a hand._

_"Well, it was nice to meet you, Creed. I have a feeling we'll get along just fine."_

Creed sighed blissfully at the memory, remembering how he was unable to even speak to Train normally back then. He knew now that it took him far too long to strike up any relationship with Train. Had his past self known what their life would be together, he wouldn't have waited another minute. Although, he couldn't help but think if their life would have been the same if he made a move sooner. Would he and Train have had more time together, or would something have happened that ruined their relationship early?

He stepped away from the window and walked to the side of the building, wanting to get to the back where he knew the library was. The silver man stopped momentarily when he saw another memory play out in front of him, this one being when Train had saved him from a scenario with Baldor Creed had **very** much provoked.

_Blinking, Creed looked down at the arm, instantly recognizing it. He shot his head up quickly, hope shining in his eyes and happiness painted across his face. Standing there, holding him with a look of determination on his face, was the boy whose attention he sought._

_Saying Train was beautiful was an understatement. His golden eyes radiated bright with power and pride. The pearly skin that sparkled in the light of the school brought out the darkness of his hair and the hint of brown hidden deep within his eyes. It may have just been Creed, but he could have sworn it was blowing in the wind._

_Baldor's words were forgotten within seconds as he watched his super hero with adoring eyes. Creed knew his face was a bright red as he looked down at Train's arm, which was loosely wrapped around his chest, leaning him back slightly as if they just finished a beautiful dance._

_Train looked down and smiled a soothing smile meant to ease his mind. Creed tried to smile back, but by the time he snapped out of his daze enough to force his lips upwards, the boy's attention was already drawn back to Baldor._

_"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't moving vehicles supposed to yield to pedestrians?"_

_"What's that supposed to me?"_

_Train laughed and set Creed straight, releasing his hold on him. Creed frowned at the change of position, but smiled as his beloved continued to laugh._

_"If I need to explain that one to you, then you're even dumber than I thought you were."_

_Baldor growled and stepped into the classroom, apparently not in the mood for Train's remarks. "Whatever, just don't mess with me, Psycho, or next time you'll get a real beating."_

_Train put his arm around Creed's neck, pulling him down just enough so the silver head was level with his chest. Creed's entire body caught on fire at the feel and smell of his beloved being so close._

_"How about next time you just leave my partner alone? I need this kid."_

_Creed could feel himself shaking with excitement and felt himself beginning to sweat. Not only was Train paying attention to him and touching him, but he remembered how they had been made partners yesterday. The plan to get his attention had worked, and better than he thought it would._

Creed walked past the memory and giggled. Train needed confirmation on his name back then. He couldn't get over how incredible their progress was. The man he loved most in the world, the man who was now his husband, used to need reminders of what his name was… and Creed used to need to get beaten up by bullies to get Train to look at him. He knew he'd still do it if he needed to. The silver man would do anything to get his beloved's attention.

He walked around the building and found the large windows that gave him a grand view of the library. Stepping forward, he leaned against the window to see if he could see the table he and Train used to sit at. Creed needed to go on his tip-toes, but he could see their spot clear as day.

There were too many wonderful memories in this room for Creed to see just one. He saw Train reaching forward and messing with his hair, watched as he froze and his face turned a bright shade of red at any contact from his beloved. Creed saw Train leaning over him to read a book, the silver man no longer able to concentrate with his cat so close to him. He giggled when he saw Train straining over a history book that was far beyond any average high schoolers grasp and sighed blissfully when he watched himself give Train a math lesson.

Then, he looked down a particular aisle of books. One he knew to be where he confessed his love to Train. While there was still a part of him that regretted the memory, he knew now it all turned out for the best. Now, he was able to replay the memory and think of it fondly. He learned how to go easy on himself recently over this moment. After all, he was just a kid in love. It was hard for him to control such intense emotions at such a young age.

He pushed away from the door and walked a little further down the school, finding a window to the cafeteria. This time he saw himself sitting far away from his beloved, but Saya changed all that. Creed sighed happily, realizing how much the woman had done for him. Had she never invited him to sit with them, he may have never found the courage to. Sitting with his beloved at lunch with their friends helped bond not only him and Train, but him and everyone else. The silver man knew he could never repay her for all she had done for him and his happiness.

Another memory flashed before his eyes that happened at the cafeteria. The one when Saya had inadvertently given him the strength to confess to Train.

_"When you like someone, you make a move. How else will things move forward?"_

_Creed stopped laughing at Saya's words. He looked at the girl whose back was currently facing him. Crystal orbs then glanced down at his beloved as he tried to breathe between his laughter._

_Eve stood quickly and began to walk out of the lunch room. Sven didn't say anything else to his friends and instead followed after Eve, stammering out apologizes as if he had done something wrong._

_"Saya … don't you think that was a bit much? I know you mean well, but shouldn't we let them work it out on their own, naturally?" Creed answered before his hero could say anything._

_"No. I don't think it needs to work out naturally anymore. For as long as I can remember those two have been playing a game with one another and I'm sick of it. I may be a patient girl, but there comes a time when you need to take matters into your own hands."_

_Creed had never been more grateful that his Cat was ignorant to everything around him. The look the kimono loving girl was giving Train made the silver boy incredibly anxious._

_"Hey! Free food!"_

_The conversation could not continue since Jenos had decided to occupy Sven's quickly discarded chair. The dark haired teen then choked when he felt a sharp hit to the back of his head._

_"Jenos… don't be rude." She turned to her friends, mainly Saya. "What did you say to Eve to make her so upset?"_

_"I told her the truth. Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's got her man with her."_

_"Okay… whatever… but, honestly, why did you say? She looked pretty upset…"_

_"Was it a lovers' quarrel? I noticed our eye patched friend followed after her like he'd done something wrong."_

_Train laughed at the image, since that was most definitely what it looked like. "No, Saya here just made him molest her."_

_"I did_ _ **not**_ _make him molest her. I simply placed his arm in a location they both wanted it."_

_That statement was enough to make Jenos stop eating. "You put his arm_ _**there** _ _?"_

_"Gross, Jenos! I put his arm around her shoulder. That's all. He wanted to do it and she wanted him to do it, but neither of them did anything about it, so I just helped them out. I'd say I was being a good friend."_

_The Cat then peered to his left and noticed his silver friend had his head lowered._

_"What'samatta, buddy?"_

_Creed's head slowly rose and his eyes gazed into Train's with a look the Cat had never seen before. It took a few seconds for Creed to answer, but when he did his voice was small and troubled, as if he were holding back an inconceivably painful passion._

_"I'm fine… Train…"_

Creed reminded himself to thank Saya again. If it hadn't been for her wise words in that moment, he may have never confessed. Without that confession, he didn't know where he and Train would be right now. He would have never kissed Train in the library, Train would have never realized how important their friendship was to him, and that realization would have never led to the closeness they developed over the years that gave them the amazing marriage they now shared.

The silver man decided that was enough time spent at the school and returned from where he came. He wanted to make one more pit stop before he found his beloved, but seeing the setting sun, he knew he had to be quick.

With fast feet, Creed made his way to Train's old apartment. Luckily, this was on the way to their tree, where his husband would be waiting for him soon. Creed approached the tree he used to sleep under when his mother kicked him out and fingered it gingerly. He peaked over to the window that now had curtains hanging from it and smiled happily. Although he couldn't see inside, he knew what it looked like and played the memories they shared together in the small room in his head.

The time when Train was sick and he took care of him, when Creed was suspended and they met at his cat's apartment to study after school. And finally, the night when Creed was attacked and spent the night with his beloved. This was the first night they had spent together in the same bed. Again, this moment didn't really mean much to Train at the time, but it meant everything to Creed.

The silver man's smile widened until it turned into a giggle. That giggle then turned into a laugh and Creed had to hold on to the tree for support. He didn't quite understand why he was laughing so hard, but he couldn't help but see the humor in that memory. Back then, Train had been pushing Creed's eager hands away from his body, and now his cat craved his touch.

When he stopped smiling, a wave of passionate love swept across him. It suddenly occurred to him that was the beginning of the end of their friendship. The next night was when Creed was attacked and sent to the hospital. Then, once they left the hospital, Train began to realize he had feelings for him and they moved in together. That led to the beginning of their romantic relationship, which brought them to where they were today.

He laughed again as a new thought dawned on him.

_Guess I owe Izo as well… If he never attacked me that night, who knows how much longer it would have taken to woo my beloved cat…_

Looking wistfully at the room one more time, Creed pushed himself off the tree and headed towards where he knew his partner was. He walked quickly, not wanting to spend another minute away from his cat. It had already been two days which felt like an eternity, so every second added to that made his longing that much worse.

When he approached the tree, he stopped at what he saw. Train had a blanket laid on the ground in front of the tree, leaning against it as he looked at his phone. Scattered on top of the blanket were rose petals and other various flowers. Apparently, Train had moved on from using just roses to a plethora of plants. There was also a basket full of what Creed could only assume was food and a bottle of champagne.

Before he continued his way to his cat, he decided to take a moment to enjoy the view. The setting sun's rays bounced beautifully against Train's hair and skin, giving his already angelic aura an even more heavenly ambiance. Although his beloved wasn't looking at him, Creed could see his golden irises shining brilliantly in the yellow radiance emitting from the ball of fire in the sky. The silver man could see that fiery passion of the sun reflected in his cat's eyes, even though Train was sitting dully and looking at his phone.

Unable to keep himself from his beloved anymore, Creed walked up to Train, watching as his cat still remained oblivious to his arrival. The silver man had a feeling his partner was messaging potential clients since that was the only thing that ever distracted Train from his presence.

Creed cleared his throat to bring Train's attention to him and when he did he watched as his golden love smiled and stood quickly. In that quick moment before they embraced tightly, Creed's heart lifted at the amber orbs that danced elegantly in the sun's rays. When he felt Train's lips press against his, the butterflies in his heart caught on fire with the flames of his passion for the man in his arms.

Train pulled away and Creed sighed sadly, not wanting to break the kiss for anything in the world. However, when he stared into his love's eyes, he smiled gleefully, happy to be in his arms again.

"I missed you, Train…"

Train laughed. "It's only been two days, Creed."

Creed frowned. "You didn't miss me?"

It was Train's turn to sigh as he led his husband to the blanket. "Of course I did. But I think tonight will make up for our time apart."

Creed followed him willingly and curled between his legs when they sat down. "It already has…"

Another laugh emitted from his beloved's glorious lips. "You haven't even seen everything yet."

The silver man caressed his cheek and nuzzled his hair lovingly. "I've seen enough…"

As they sat and ate all of Creed's favorite foods, the silver man couldn't help the memories of where they came from continue to play through his head. He watched as a slightly younger version of Train laid on the ground next to him, staring hungrily at the sky, his golden eyes glistening contentedly in the setting sun. Creed then saw himself crawling towards he love's sleeping body, needing to feel his beloved's warmth against him after he cried his heart and soul out to the young man. He saw his hands clutching Train's eagerly, his lips unable to control himself as he tried to confess his love and kiss his cat. Next, he saw Train jumping out of the tree above them, telling Creed he, despite his feelings for the cat, didn't want their friendship to end.

Everything played in his mind like a black and white movie. There was no sound to the pictures, but every image was just as beautiful as the last. He smiled at his fully grown love, cheerfully taking a bite of the food Train had intended to slam in his face, giggling when his beloved frowned teasingly and tried again. Once more, Creed opened his mouth and accepted the food, even though it was more than the average person would ever eat in one bite.

Train growled. "Why do you have to ruin my fun?"

Creed smiled. "Because your disgruntled reactions are just too cute."

His love rolled his eyes. "You think everything I do is cute."

The silver man leaned forward enough so his lips brushed against Train's as he spoke. "Then I guess you better do something that isn't cute to prove me wrong…"

Train smiled slightly before kissing his partner. He slid his arm around Creed's back to pull him close and the newly graduated student crawled onto Train's lap, wrapping his legs on either side of his partner's hips. From his new elevated angel, Creed was able to plunge his tongue deep into his cat's mouth, putting both of his hands behind Train's head to hold him in place.

The golden man ran his hands up Creed's shirt, caressing and tickling the tender skin of his husband as his tongue twirled earnestly against his partner's. He fell back against the blanket beneath them, relishing the feel of the man above him ravishing his lips and mouth lustfully. Train moaned loudly as Creed ran his fingers sensually though his hair, his lower body beginning to gyrate against his.

Train moved his hands to Creed's hips and massaged them tenderly, causing a happy gasp to leave his husband's lips as he slipped his hands from the man's hips to his thighs The cat moved his fingers to Creed's inner thighs and rubbed seductively, which caused his partner to move more excitedly against him.

Suddenly, Train heard the sound of fireworks entering his ears. He pushed Creed off of him quickly and spun him around so they were sitting next to each other. The silver man whined loudly at their change in position and desperately tried to bring them back to where they were. Train prevented him from doing so and forced him to watch the fireworks.

"Shop it and watch the show." That was all he said as he pulled Creed against him, holding him tight so the silver man didn't have a choice.

With one last depressed look at his love, he turned his eyes to the sky. They had a perfect view of the show which was no surprise to Creed. One of the things that made this spot so romantic was the view of the area below them and the sky above. They rested on a hill that gave them full sight of the twinkling city and the sky seemed to always be clear enough to see the bright stars.

Creed curled himself up next to his beloved and smiled happily at the blasting lights above them. It was a beautiful sight, but nothing compared to his beloved. Once more, he tried to straddle his love, but was stopped by Train's strong hands.

"Creed… Just watch…"

Train's voice was lovingly, yet serious, which was enough to get Creed to keep his eyes up. He could tell the show was almost over, and was beginning to regret not making love to his cat under such a stunning view. However, that feeling quickly changed when the display above showed a personal message.

The words, "Congratulations Creed," spelled out in the fireworks which made the silver man gasp loudly. Next, he saw the words, "I love you" spark across the dark sky, followed by the outline of a cat, a tell tale sign of who the message was from.

Creed felt his eyes swell with tears as he turned towards his love. Train was smiling proudly at him, then ran his hand through his hair zealously.

"Congratulations, Silver Dollar. Don't ask how I got this done. It was **a lot** of work, which is why I came here so soon." He chuckled at the man's shocked look "Enjoy your surprise?"

The silver man sobbed loudly then latched his lips back on to Train. They kissed for a moment before Creed pulled away to respond. "It's breathtaking… But not as breathtaking as you are."

The golden man smirked and kissed him deeply. Within a few minutes, Creed was back on his lap and they were continuing their actions they had moments ago seized. Creed moaned happily as Train made love to him under the starry night sky. It seemed that despite the cat's qualms with public displays of physical passion, his beloved didn't care at that moment. He gasped loudly with each of Train's thrusts, holding Train against him firmly, cherishing the physical and emotional feelings his husband was giving him.

Just before he came, he pulled Train's face close to his own, falling profoundly into those golden irises he loved so much. Feeling his love dive deep into him a few more times, he cried loudly, not caring if anyone heard his ecstasy. The feeling of Train throbbing inside of him was too amazing to hide from the world.

"TRAIN!"

He heard his voice get lost in the warm air, then exploded onto his beloved's chest and kissed him passionately. Creed could feel Train burst inside him and moaned again at the knowledge that his love filled his body with his essence. The silver man never broke the kiss when Train came inside him, not wanting to miss a second of tasting his cat.

Creed stayed on Train's lap and kissed him devotedly, feeling his beloved's heart beat against his own. They had finally made this tree truly theirs. They're love making would remain etched against the skies above them forever, the tree sheltering their passion for eternity as they held one another lovingly in each other's arms.

The silver man pulled away to see his husband's eyes. He flashed back to every version of Train he had loved. Creed saw his child self gripping tightly at the fabric his beloved had left him to cover his wound, reaching longingly at a small Train that walked away from him.

He saw a middle school aged Train smiling friendly at him, even though he didn't know who he was. He then turned away as Creed once again reached for him.

Then, he saw a teenage Train giving him that cheeky grin he loved so much, feeling his heart ache as his hands once more tried to grasp his love.

Next, he saw the young adult Train giving him a slightly more thoughtful look, one the silver man realized had more meaning behind it than the man giving it knew.

Finally, he saw the current Train gazing lovingly into his eyes, running his hands reverently through his chestnut hair, stopping to hold him tightly between his digits to remind him this was real. To remind him all those years and waiting, yearning, reaching, and fighting for him were worth it. As he gazed into those golden irises he loved so much, he didn't know what to say to portray his emotions. There was so much to say, yet nothing to say at the same time.

What he felt for Train was beyond love at this point. It was a passion so incredible, so deep, so furious, Creed couldn't explain it anymore. However, as he felt Train's soft cheek against the back of his fingers, he was somehow able to find the best and only words he could say to the beautiful man he sat on.

"I'm finally able to grasp you…"

Train smiled and kissed him again, a sensational chill going down Creed's back at the contrasts of his cat's warm lips and the cooling summer breeze that swept past them. His ears suddenly filled with another sound which made him stop and look at Train. Creed could hear quiet music coming from his beloved's phone and he looked down to see his partner had subtly hit play on their favorite song.

" _If I lay here  
If I just lay here_

_Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world."_

Creed laughed as he pressed his face against Train's shoulder. "...You are **so** cheesy."

"You love it." Train said as he pulled Creed off him so they could lay next to each other as the song dictated.

Creed curled next to his beloved. And gazed between the stars in the sky to the stars in his love's eyes. It always amazed him how, despite the pollution Creed had no doubt the city produced, this hill was high up enough that anything dwelling on it truly could forget the world.

He watched as his beloved began to drift to sleep. Before he did, Train scooped up both sides of the large blanket they laid on and cocooned themselves together. Creed sighed blissfully at the warmth of his love's arms around him and the thick blanket that encased them together.

"What about the hotel room?" Creed asked as Train settled in more comfortably next to him.

Train smiled and kissed his forehead. "I only got it for the two nights. I knew you wouldn't want to leave this spot after the night we've had in it."

Creed giggled and buried himself as deep into his beloved as he could. He glanced at his cat one more time, smiling peacefully as he gazed at his cat's sleeping form that emitted an ethereal glow in the moon and stars rays. The silver man ran his fingers through Train's hair, caressed his cheek lovingly, then joined his husband in their tranquil sleep.

* * *

The rest of the weekend had been almost as good as their first night together. They only had one day left, but it was all Creed needed after their night under the stars. Honestly, the silver man could have ended the weekend with that night, but having some time with their friends at the festival was nice as well.

All of Creed's friends had something planned to congratulate him on his graduation. Eve had given him a subscription to a year's worth of legal magazines and books, so for the next twelve months, he would be receiving useful and updated information that applied directly to his job. Sven gave him a voucher for a plane trip to anywhere he and Train wanted to go, which Creed eagerly took and looked at Train hopefully. His cat promised once they were settled in their new jobs they would plan a real vacation that wasn't just to their hometown

Saya was there as well and while she didn't have as much money or sway as the Vollfied's did, she was a sentimental person. She handed him a scrapbook of his life since high school. It wasn't filled with just pictures. There were pages of her own feelings about him and his relationship with Train. The teal eyed girl also provided remnants of moments he and Train shared together such as the fabric Creed kept on his wrist for so many years and a silver dollar from the year he and Train started dating.

While Eve and Sven's gifts were wonderful, he couldn't help but feel a special connection to Saya's. He hugged her tightly and thanked her for everything she had done for him. He also made sure to mention how grateful he was for what she did to make sure Creed finally got Train. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, telling him she knew they were meant to be, despite what might have been happening between her and Train in high school.

However, it was time for the weekend to end. Before it could, Creed wanted to make one last stop. Train waited for him at the bus station as the silver man made his way to his old apartment. It was the last place he felt like he needed to see before he left. Even though this place had nothing but terrible memories for him, Creed knew he had to make peace with this last bit of his traumatic past. He didn't tell Train what he was doing.

He stood in front of his old apartment build and took a deep breath. Images of his younger self running out of the building haunted his thoughts as he looked up to the window where his room was. Creed remembered all the times he cried, screamed, and yelled. He remembered the vases being thrown at him, the slander being spewed through the air by his mother… and the unwanted advances a predator made at him every night.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and fingered the brick wall gingerly. He didn't know why, but he needed to feel the building to remind him it was no longer his life. The silver man found the strength to sigh happily as he thought of his new life with his beloved. Creed was able to push through the pain as he imagined Train's lips pressed against his, the cat's exquisite body moving passionately into his own.

Knowing he could face the apartment building on his own was the first step. The next step was harder. Creed made sure Train didn't know what he was doing because he knew he needed to do it by himself. He couldn't rely on his love's strength for everything if he was going to be a functioning adult and if Train knew where he was going, he would insist on going with him.

He walked down the street and to an alley he had nothing but nightmarish memories with. He forced his feet forward, positive he needed to work through this alone if he was going to complete his happiness with his beloved. When he reached his destination, he stopped and looked down the street to the wall where Izo had attacked him.

The memories of that night came rushing back, but he was able to replace them with the happy thoughts that this horrific moment led to. This terrible night gave him the happy life he now had with Train. He smiled and turned to walk away, but was stopped when he heard a cry that sounded like a little girl. Creed spun around quickly, then walked down the alley slightly to see where the noise had come from.

A glimpse of bright silver caught his attention and forced his feet forward. He kept walking until his eyes fell on a thin, feminine form that looked very similar to his own. Creed stopped and stared down at his mother, who looked worse than she ever had before.

"Mother…" Creed said sternly.

The woman looked up at him drunkenly, which made the silver man grimace, knowing it was still morning. She blinked a few times then laughed. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?"

Creed stepped closer so he could see her better. "I'm here for the festival with my husband… You look… terrible."

She laughed and fell on the ground. " **Husband?!** Is it that strapping young man that came to the door all those years ago? Or was it days?"

The silver man chose to ignore her drunken state in favor of the small child next to her. A small girl, no older than the age of four sat next to her. She was shaking and looking away from Creed, crying loudly as she curled up in a ball as if she were trying to conserve body heat in the blistering summer air. She looked almost exactly like his mother, and extremely similar to himself. Her hair was silver and her skin was pale. Creed was unable to see her eyes, but he had a feeling they weren't far off from his mother or his own.

Creed knelt down in front of her, trying to get a better look. She jumped as she looked at him briefly, shoving her face back into her knees as she kept vibrating violently. Within those brief seconds, the silver man could see her eyes were green instead of blue. He reached his hand out to her, hoping to provide some comfort.

"Hey there… are you okay?"

The little girl cried and crawled away from him, as if he was a venomous snake. Creed heard his mother scoff and looked at her. "You're out of luck. She won't look at me either."

Creed eyed her wearily, sure of the answer to his question before she asked it. "Who is she?"

The trash of a woman laughed on the ground she drunkenly lay on. "Come on, I thought you were supposed to be some genius. She's your sister."

Creed couldn't take his eyes off the girl as he spoke to his mother, barely able to comprehend what was happening. "How old is she?"

He felt his mother roll his eyes. "She isn't Izo's if that's what you're wondering. I was released early for good behavior and a bit of pity. No one liked seeing a pregnant woman locked up." She cackled loudly. "I haven't made contact with him since he was put away. He had time added on for smuggling drugs and attacking an inmate, so there's now way she's his. Probably happened from some guard I fucked before I was let go."

Still kneeling in front of the little girl he now had confirmed was his sister, he glared at the woman. " **You** were released for good behavior?"

She rolled on her back and shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't get my hands on anything illegal in there. Plus, if you spread the legs for the guards, they'll agree to anything." She cackled again and looked at him tiredly. "Take that as a lesson from your mother."

Creed ignored the woman as he looked at the girl. He did the math in his head. Izo was locked away for five years, meaning his original release would have been just recently. Seeing as he was apparently now still in prison, there was no way this girl could be his. It also made sense why neither of them were present at his and Train's trial. He always found it off that they wouldn't go out of their way to punish him further. It didn't behoove the defense to call two people who were currently locked up to testify against him.

The silver man heard his mother mumble a few more less endearing things. She blamed him again for her terrible life choices, called him garbage and even tried to lazily strike him. However, none of this meant anything to Creed. He was far beyond caring what she thought of him. Instead, he only cared about the scared girl in front of him. She was so thin and fragile, Creed couldn't help but pity her. The fact that they were staying in the alley next to his old apartment instead of inside it was enough for Creed to piece together they had been kicked out.

"What's her name?" Creed asked his mother quietly in between her berating.

His mother thought for a minute as if she had forgotten. ""Fantasy."

Creed smiled, knowing the name was probably meant to be some dark irony of her life, but he saw it as a positive light on his since he felt like he had been living a fantasy with Train.

The silver man again tried to talk to her, hoping the calmness and sincerity of his voice could calm her anxious heart. Her clothes were dirty and her hair was matted. Creed knew all too well what she was feeling right now.

"Hell, Fantasy. I'm your big brother, Creed." He offered a hand to her. "Do you want to come with me?"

She looked at him wearily, then shook her head. Creed could tell by the way she looked at him she was associating him too much with his mother. He couldn't blame her. They shared a strong family resemblance. He didn't think he would have acted much different had he been in her shoes.

His mother scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like you could ever care for a child. You have no idea what it's like."

Creed glared at her. "I'm pretty sure I know more about shaping a life than you do…"

As he turned back to the terrified girl, he frowned.

_I can't blame her… At her age, if I saw someone that looked like that woman offering me help I would refuse as well. It's a survival instinct at this point. She's alive in the care of my mother… She has no idea what awaits her if she went with me. She's also most likely traumatized._

There was no doubt in Creed's mind she had already seen a fair share of men having their way with the woman. By her age, Creed already knew far more than he should about how the anatomy of human beings worked.

"By all means, take her if you want her. All she does is stop paying customers from visiting my humble abode."

The voice of his mother still made his skin crawl, but he was able to push that aside easier than he thought. He came here to make peace with his past, and it seemed he was instead able to make peace with the woman who had caused him nothing but pain and suffering his whole life.

Creed reached out to the young girl again and frowned as she flinched. He then pulled an energy bar out of his bag and offered it to her. The silver man always kept food on him in case Train was hungry. Despite no longer being an officer, his beloved was constantly working out, which left him with an insatiable hunger that Creed was always trying to fulfill.

Before his mother could protest or take the food from the child he offered her one as well, not bothering to look at her as he did so. He watched as his sister took it nervously, biting into it tentatively while never taking her eyes off of him. As if she expected him to hurt her at any minute.

He sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help. What can I do to convince you of that?"

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Creed. He was no different at her age and remembered what it took to get him to begin trusting people again. Creed stood suddenly, giving the girl and his mother one more snack before he left.

"Seeing as you don't want her, I'll be right back with help to collect her."

* * *

"Whoa, slow down, Creed. You found who and she has what?"

Creed growled in frustration as he tried to explain what had just happened to his cat. Seeing his beloved wasn't going to understand without seeing for himself, he grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the approaching bus that would take them home.

"Just come with me. It'll make more sense when you see you."

Train stumbled as he was pulled by his partner, confusion dancing obviously in his face. "Creed! We're gonna miss our bus!"

Creed was determined. "Then we'll miss it. You'll agree I'm doing the right thing when you see what I'm talking about."

Train sighed and caught up with his husband, shrugging his shoulders as he walked next to time. "Okay… I trust you."

Creed was walking quicker than he expected and they were soon at the alley they had encountered Izo all those years ago. When his husband pulled him down the sidewalk, he paused only slightly before entering the terrifying area.

"Creed... You came back **here** by yourself?"

Creed yanked him firmly. "Yes. We'll argue about that later, just come with me."

Train didn't have a choice but to follow the stubborn man and soon understood why he was being so forceful. The cat made eye contact with Creed's mother, who attempted a seductive purr as she crawled pathetically towards him.

"Oooh, are you going to pay me the big bucks to let your precious man know what it feels like to be with a woman?"

The golden man winced as the drunk woman clasped onto his leg, running her hands dangerously close to his private area. Creed was on it in an instant as he pulled his mother off and waited for his beloved to notice who else was there.

Train didn't register that the woman had been pulled off of him. Instead, he found himself staring down at a small girl that looked eerily similar to his husband. He stood there in shock as the girl stayed curled in a ball, her silver hair greased with dirt, her clothes hanging off her thin frame dismally.

Before he could question what he thought was true, Creed spoke. "She's my sister."

The golden man hovered over her for only a second more before blinking and kneeling next to her. He set his hand on the girl's knee and squeezed it tightly.

"Hello…." His voice was calm and caring, glancing at Creed quickly who answered his silent question.

"Fantasy…"

Train nodded. "...Fantasy. My name is Train. Are you hungry?"

Hearing a new voice speak to him with such kindness caused her to look over at the source. Her eyes lit up curiously when she saw the golden one staring at her, and she even turned her body so it was facing Train. Fantasy nodded her head and scooted a little closer to him unknowingly.

Train smiled as warmly as he could, hoping the girl would fall enough for his charm to trust him into leaving with him. "I know that feeling. I'm always hungry. You look cold too. Are you cold?"

She nodded and uncurled a little. "Y-yes… I'm a-always c-cold."

Train laughed lively, but inwardly he was concerned. Being cold in his heat meant there might be something medically wrong with her. "That feeling I don't know since I'm always warm. Do you want to see for yourself?"

He opened his arms for the girl to enter, praying she would take the bait. Doing so meant she trusted Train and maybe they could get her out of there. Fantasy hesitated for a minute, then looked in his amber orbs and smiled slightly. Next thing Train knew, he had a small, Creed-like girl clinging to his shirt desperately, burying her dirty face into his clean white fabric.

Train didn't care and he wrapped his arms around the petite girl and smiled. He felt her tears starting to drench his clothes and he made a shushing noise as he petted the back of her hair gingerly. The cat didn't need to ask why she was crying. This was probably the most kindness and love she had ever been shown by anyone. Definitely the first hug.

"Shhh… It's okay. You still have to answer my question. Am I warm?"

Fantasy nodded viciously and clung to him tighter. "Y-yes… And you s-smell..."

Train chuckled and held her tight against his chest. "I **smell**?! I'm so sorry, I know I showered!"

The girl shook her head. "N-no… You s-smell like c-chocolate…"

The cat smiled and squeezed her closer. "That's probably because of the chocolate I just had. Do you want to come with me to get more?"

Feeling her head nodded furiously against his chest he stood as he looked at Creed. The silver man looked relieved as he smiled warmly at his partner. "I was right. Us Diskences can't resist the Heartnet charm…"

The cat returned his smile and continued petting the weeping girl in his arms, whispering soothing words into her ears and promising her chocolate soon. Train even cracked a few jokes which surprisingly made the girl giggle as she dug herself as deep into the safe man's body as she could. After a few minutes, she even fell asleep, unable to fight her body's fatigue in the kind man's embrace.

As Train walked away from Creed and his mother, the silver man turned to the barely conscious woman. He frowned then sat next to her, wanting to make peace with the woman he hated more than anything else in the world.

"I trust you would fight us taking her?" His voice was cold and serious, making sure the woman knew it wasn't really a question.

The woman rolled her eyes. "You can take her. I don't even want her. Like you, she's been nothing but a burden since the day she was born."

Creed growled quietly. He didn't understand how someone could carry a child inside them for nine months then experience one of the greatest miracles of life and feel absolutely zero attachment to what that miracle produced.

"We'll take care of her so you don't have to feel that 'burden', as you so elegantly put it, anymore. In the meantime, do you mind getting yourself fixed so we don't have to worry about you procreating anymore?"

She huffed loudly and barely looked at him. "I can't help how fertile I am. My job is pleasing men. You can't stop me from doing that."

Creed sighed and handed her the basket he and Train used last night to carry their food in. He made sure when he got Train he took the leftovers from the meal they did not finish last night. The silver man didn't want to give her money, since he knew she wouldn't use it wisely. Instead, he gave her the basket full of their uneaten food and the blanket they had slept on.

Next, he dug into his pocket, pulling out a business card William had given him during their trial. "This is the number of a social worker. He can lead you in the direction of getting help."

He slipped the card in the woman's hand, then stood. "I hate you, mother. I hate you more than I hate anything else in this life. You have caused me nothing but pain and suffering from the day I was born. My whole life, I wanted nothing more than to see the life drain from your face."

Creed ran his hand through her hair, then smiled slightly. "However, if my life with Train has taught me anything, it's how to forgive and how to love. I know I could never love you, but I can forgive you, even if you feel like you don't need forgiving. I've been fortunate and strong enough to make it through this hellish world without your guidance."

He paused and watched as the drunk woman eyed him strangely. "However… I guess I should also be thanking you… Without you, I would have never been born. The idea of being born used to make me sick, but seeing how blessed I am to have Train's love… I can see the merits of being alive. If it wasn't for you, I never would have met him. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found Train to light up my life."

Creed smiled warmer this time, removing his hand from the woman that gave birth to him. "If it wasn't for you… I wouldn't have had a chance to be happy. While I may never love you as a son should love their mother, I can be grateful for you boring me into this wretched world."

He looked over where his beloved had gone, watching as Train gave him space to talk to his mother as he cradled Creed's sleeping sister in his arms.

" **He** makes everything worthwhile. He makes all of my pain and torments seem like minor setbacks… And without you, I would have never experienced such beauty and bliss…"

Creed turned to his mother once more, smiling sincerely as he knelt down one more time to wrap her hands around the card he had given her.

"I hope that you give life a chance like I did. Maybe one day you can see the beauty in the brilliance of the world as I have. Until then… Thank you, Mother… Forgiving me life…"

With that, Creed stood and walked over to his cat. He caressed the hair of his new found sister tenderly, then looked at Train lovingly. Seeing his cat was smiling and Fantasy was sleeping peacefully, Creed leaned forward and kissed his husband gently.

Leaning his forehead against Train's, he sighed and ran his fingers through his love's luscious locks. "Let's go home, Love."

* * *

"So, what you're telling me is you and Train had a kid before Eve and Sven?"

Creed rolled his eyes at Saya's small voice coming from his phone. "No, I'm simply telling you that my horrid mother procreated again and we are taking care of her discarded offspring."

Saya sighed. "I know you don't mean what you said to be a negative description of the girl and it's just misguided anger at your mom, but you need to be careful. As you said, she associates you a little with the woman, so if you start talking like that around her, you're never going to be able to break through her defenses."

Creed paused in his pacing and thought about what the woman had said. He nodded. "You're right. Train definitely has a way with her, but is she still a bit nervous with me."

"Can you blame her? She's a small child who's been traumatized more than most adults have been. Once you give her positive memories, I'm sure she'll come around."

The silver man smiled. "Thank you, Saya."

He walked in the bathroom where Train was attempting to give Fantasy a bath. It had been a few weeks since they took her, and they already realized they needed a woman's advice since they had a hard time figuring out how to properly clean her. Neither of them were comfortable physically bathing her, so they did their best to mime the motions to her which worked for the most part, but it still seemed like she wasn't ever fully clean.

And when it came to her private areas, they were at a complete loss. Concerned about possible diseases that may form from spending the first years of her life in an alley, they knew they needed female intervention.

"Can we get back to the reason for my call? We're having a hard time bathing her…"

Creed could hear the girl's smirk over the phone. "In regards to…"

She knew what Creed meant, but she was enjoying making him uncomfortable. "Saya… You know what I mean."

"Are you trying to ask me how to wash her vagina?"

She made sure to say it loud enough that Train could hear it. Creed had already told her she was on speaker phone since his hair was wet from the splashes Fantasy was making in the bath. Train was having a blast splashing with her, but Creed knew they needed to get her washed thoroughly otherwise she could get sick. When his beloved's entire body became soaked with his playful antics with the girl, Creed took that moment to step out and call for help.

Fantasy looked at Creed curiously, then back at Train. "Vagina?"

Train grimaced and looked at his husband desperately. Creed sputtered as he clutched the phone tightly, turning his back towards the two in the bathroom as he whispered to Saya.

"Shh! Yes! That!"

Saya laughed. "If you're going to raise a little girl, you need to be able to say vagina. You don't want to give her a complex about her own body."

Creed nodded, but was still uncomfortable with the conversation. "Yeah, that makes sense..."

"Seriously, Creed, I mean it. I know I like to mess with you both, but you really need to read into how to raise a girl if you're going to keep her. I am totally confident two men can raise a happy and healthy girl, but you need to know what you're doing."

Creed smiled as he looked back at his cat. Even in the short amount of time they had her, Creed could tell Train had fallen absolutely head over heels for her and the feeling was certainly mutual. Fantasy was attached to Train at the hip, literally. The only time they were separated was when they slept.

Creed and Train agreed she couldn't stay in the bed with them, so they got a small bed they kept in their room in case she needed them. It didn't take long for them to realize the girl suffered from severe night terrors. Since they both knew what they were like, they decided she couldn't sleep in a strange room by herself. It was bad enough Fantasy didn't know what it was like to live in a house let alone stay in a room by herself at night. They tried it once and the screams she emitted terrified them both to their core.

As hard as it had been getting her settled the last few weeks, Creed knew giving her up was out of the question. He smiled fondly as his beloved made a soap crown on her head. Train had taken to calling her 'Little Queen', unable to use the word princess on anyone other than Eve. Queen seemed more fitting since they could slowly see she had a big personality.

"We're definitely keeping her. I don't think Train would ever forgive me if we found another family for her."

Now that he was a full fledged lawyer, he was able to work the system to make sure she was legally theirs. With the help of his new employment at Sephiria's business, he was able to get her birth certificate, find out her real age and the spelling of her name. She was about three and a half, which was shocking to Creed because she spoke like a five-year-old. He passed that off as the genius in their genes and didn't think much of it. Creed didn't know how smart his mother was, but since she had never been anything but a drunken mess, that made sense to him.

However, he did change one thing on her birth certificate. His mother had taken some liberties on the spelling of her name. Creed would be damned if the child he was raising spelled her name the way she had intended. It was originally spelled Phantaseey, and the silver man was having none of that. It was bad enough he had to go through his childhood as 'Creed', there was no way he'd make this girl confused by her own name. He didn't want to take her name away from her. Both he and Train actually liked it, so they simply changed the name to be spelled correctly.

Saya laughed a little. "Good. Then I suggest you get some books and start doing research. As for how to wash her private area, you don't want to get too much soap in it. That causes UTIs which are not comfortable at all."

Creed panicked a little and turned to Train. That was not at all what they were teaching her and he needed to make sure his cat heard Saya say that. Train nodded and took the soap from her before she could follow their old instructions. Luckily, she was too preoccupied with the soap crown Train gave her and the rubber duck she was playing with in the water.

"Then what do we teach her? She's literally sitting in a pool of soapy water!" Train was looking at Creed as he spoke, keeping his hands on the edge of the bathtub just in case she needed him. He was grateful their bathroom included the shower and tub, otherwise he didn't know how they would bathe her.

"That's fine, she won't get enough in there from just a bath. Really, that's enough to keep her clean down there. When she gets older, she needs to learn to splash some water there while she showers. When I say don't get soap in there, I mean don't take a bar of soap and scrub her vagina. **That's** what could cause problems."

Both men took a sigh of relief, happy to hear they hadn't done anything too wrong yet. Saya laughed when she heard them both sigh. "Just wait 'til she starts going through puberty!"

Train scowled at the phone. "No. She's going to stay this small and sweet forever."

Fantasy giggled as Train booped her nose with his soap finger, doing the same to him. She giggled louder when she saw the strange face Train made, then took a handful of soap and made him a soap crown as well. Since Train had been calling her Little Queen, she started calling him Big King.

Creed laughed when he saw Train acting like royalty for her and he could hear Saya chuckling as well.

"I can tell Train is already really attached to her…"

Creed nodded even though he knew she couldn't hear it. "He absolutely adores her. And she adores him. That's not surprising considering everyone in my family who has met him has been immediately attracted to him."

He stopped himself from remembering the day his mother tried to seduce him which was easy as Saya gave him something else to think about with her question.

"Do you know who her father is? Will he come looking for her?"

Creed stepped out of the bathroom so Train could enjoy his time with the girl in peace. This was always a touchy subject for his love, even though he knew her dad wouldn't be a threat.

"We do. Train was able to do some sleuthing and I was able to use my resources at Sephiria's firm to dig around and find the guard who fathered her."

Saya was quiet, then pushed for more information. "...And?"

Creed walked into the kitchen and sat at their small table, knowing he was too wet to sit on the couch. "He wants nothing to do with her. He even tried to deny ever knowing who my mother was, but every inmate knew they were… intimate with each other." He shivered, not wanting to picture his mother doing **that** with someone.

Creed shook himself free of the thought and continued. "Train was furious at his lack of interest in her, but he knows that means no one will try to take her from us. She's legally ours now."

Normally getting legal guardianship of a child took months, sometimes even years to confirm, but since Creed was already her biological brother and both parents wanted nothing to do with her, and there were no living grandparents or siblings on either side, it made the process much easier. Plus, they had William who could vouch for them and seeing as they were a stable, married couple living in a secure apartment building with a lawyer's income coming and benefits, the court couldn't see anything that would stop them from keeping her.

Saya sighed in relief. "That's good… I mean, it's terrible he wants nothing to do with her, but at least you know she won't be taken away."

Creed agreed. "Yes. And with the knowledge of who her father is, we were able to get our hands on her medical history. Apparently, he's anemic… Which means she could be as well."

Saya gasped. "Have you tested her yet?!"

"No. Not yet. I've read up on it and found some temporary, at home solutions while we make all the proper appointments for her. She'll be getting all her vaccines next week as well as checked for any other diseases."

Creed wanted to take her to the doctor immediately, but the idea of poking and prodding such a fragile girl who didn't even know what a doctor was seemed like a bad idea. As much as her physical state mattered, her emotional one was just as important. He needed Fantasy to trust him and whisking her to an office where they shot her up full of vaccines and took her blood was not the way to go about it. Now that she was starting to be more comfortable, that was the next thing on their list.

Saya yawned. "Well, it sounds like you have everything under control. You woke me up earlier enough for this conversation, so now I need to get ready for work."

Creed blushed, forgetting the time difference they shared. "Sorry... But, thank you for always being there for us."

"Never apologize to me. I'll always be here for you guys, you know that."

Creed smiled and bid his farewells to her friend. Once they hung up, he entered the bathroom again and chuckled at the sight he saw. Train's soap crown had fallen to wet suds, matting his brown hair to his face as he scrubbed the giggling girl's head. Water dripped down his body making his clothes droop heavily against his body. It didn't seem to bother the cat since he was talking to her in a strange accent Creed could only assume was his attempt at sounding British.

"What is that voice?" Fantasy asked between her giggle fits.

Train frowned. "I'm being British."

"What's that?" She asked again, dipping her duck in and out of the water.

Creed entered the room. "It's a different place in the world."

Fantasy looked a little nervous when Creed approached, but seemed to be able to get over it quicker than she normally had.

"There's more places than here and the alley?"

Creed's heart broke when she said that and noticed his cat's disposition had changed as well. When she said things like that, they were quickly reminded of how awful her short life had been. Seeing how upset his beloved had become at the tragic thought of Fantasy's sad life, Creed decided to keep talking about places they could visit.

"There are a lot of places in the world. We live on a big planet. There's a lot to see and learn."

Fantasy looked at him strangely. "But I like it here."

Creed laughed and leaned forward to splash a little water in her face. "And we like having you here. But, you'll learn as you get older you can travel anywhere."

She giggled when Creed splashed her and splashed back. Fantasy looked at Train who was getting her a towel and reached her arms towards him. "Can you come with me?"

Train smiled and lifted her in the air with the towel wrapped tightly around her. "Of course! We were actually offered a trip by our friend to go **anywhere** we want. You can come with us!"

He looked at Creed when he said this. They hadn't talked about that, but he knew if they were going to go anywhere soon, she needed to come with them. Creed nodded in agreement and grabbed a towel to dry her hair off.

"And we won't be gone forever. We'll always make sure to come home."

Fantasy smiled brightly at Creed when he pulled the towel away. Now that she was warming up to him, he could see why Train was crazy about her. She really did look like a tiny version of himself. Honestly, if he had baby pictures, he probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

The girl wrapped her arms around Train's neck as he walked out of the bathroom with her. Creed took the time his beloved used to help her into her pajamas to clean up the bathroom. He sighed when he saw how water covered almost every inch of the room and got to work immediately.

After a few minutes, Train was standing behind him with a now dressed Fantasy who was still clinging to his neck. They made sure to buy her any clothes she would need and a few toys. Right now, her favorite toy was a stuffed black cat that she never let go of. She was holding it in one arm now, her other still gripped around Train as she turned her head to watch Creed.

"What are you doing?" She asked innocently.

Creed looked at her from the floor he was trying to soak up the water from. "I'm cleaning."

She frowned. "But the water is clean…"

Creed chuckled and leaned on one of his knees as he watched the girl from where he knelt. "Yes, but we can't leave the water everywhere."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Because it could hurt the floor." He didn't know how to explain to her that leaving water on any surface too long could cause damage.

"The floor has feelings?" She asked again, pressing the side of her face against Train's shoulder.

Creed laughed and went back to drying the floor. "I guess you could say that…"

Fantasy looked at Train and twirled his hair in her fingers. "Don't we say sorry to things we hurt?"

Train laughed and gave her a quick squeeze, happy she remembered a lesson he taught her early on when she accidentally did something that upset Creed. "Yes. Yes we do."

She kept her face against Train and continued playing with his hair as she looked at the floor from the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry, floor."

Creed laughed, then stopped what he was doing and looked at Train. His cat gave him a confused look when Creed gestured to the floor with his hand. The silver man sighed. "You hurt the floor's feelings too, Train."

Train blushed, then nodded his head. "I'm sorry too, floor."

Fantasy nuzzled her face into Train's neck, but kept her eyes on Creed. "Train said we could have ice cream."

Creed nodded from his spot on the floor as he kept soaking up the water. "That sounds like a good idea to me. Enjoy!"

Seeing they didn't leave the room, Creed looked at her again. Fantasy was still latched onto Train, but she was blushing a little as she fingered the fabric of the golden man's shirt. Train saw the bewildered look on his husband's face and smirked wildly.

"Fantasy wants you to join us."

Creed looked at his cat hopefully, asking with his eyes if this was his idea or hers. Train motioned to the girl in his arms with her eyes and smiled warmly. The silver man could have wept with happiness at the thought. It was small, but bigger than anything she had given him yet.

Creed stood and looked down at him, noticing he was still wet. "Can I get changed first?"

"No. Because I need to go to bed soon."

Train laughed and tickled the girl in his arms. "That's my Little Queen! You're such a good listener!"

Creed sighed, but he couldn't help the cheerfulness he felt at the girl's want for him to be included. "And a quick learner too."

It was good to hear she was getting used to the schedule they put her on. While they didn't know much about raising a little girl, they learned from their time spent babysitting Tak that kids needed a schedule to follow.

Train smiled at Creed. "Just like her big brother."

The lawyer returned his gesture and walked into the kitchen with them. Fantasy stayed on Train's lap as they ate, feeding him a few sloppy bites of her dessert which the cat took happily. However, when she crawled across the table to feed Creed, the silver man's heart leapt with joy at her willingness to involve him in her playfulness with Train.

When they finished and cleaned her face off, Train carried her to the couch so they could help settle her down before bed. Creed finished cleaning up the kitchen and bathroom, then leaned against the doorway from their bedroom after he changed his clothes. His love had fallen asleep on the couch with the small girl in his arms.

Train was laying on his side, his back resting on the cushions of the couch with Fantasy curled up on his chest, one arm hugging her stuffed cat, the other clinging tightly to Train's shirt. Creed allowed them to sleep for a bit, even taking out his phone to take a picture so he could show Train later how cute they were later. However, he knew they couldn't stay like that, and it was getting late.

Creed tiptoed over to them and prodded Train gently with his finger. "Train, my love… We need to put her to bed."

Train groaned quietly, rubbing his eyes as he met Creed's gaze. He smiled at his partner, then looked down to see the sleeping girl on his chest. The cat chuckled and sat up, gingerly lifting her in his arms again.

Then, a thought occurred to him. He handed Fantasy over to his partner, smirking knowingly. "I think you should put her down tonight."

Creed blinked at the sleeping child offered to him. He had done it several times with Tak so he knew how, but he was shocked that Train was not only letting him, but that Fantasy wasn't complaining when she left Train's arms. Just like Creed, even in her sleep she seemed to know when the golden man was around her or not.

He smiled and took her from his beloved. "Thank you, Love."

Train nodded and watched as they walked into the bedroom. He stretched roughly from the couch then stood to follow them. The cat sighed as Creed tucked her in gently, his heart filling with a tender warmth as he watched the man he loved smile heartily at the small girl.

When Creed finished and walked away, Train caught him by the waist and kissed him deeply. Creed sighed blissfully into the kiss and pressed a little harder against him. His beloved pulled away and caressed his face lovingly, making Creed purr and kiss Train's fingers before they left his face.

Creed saw his husband yawn and giggled, leading Train to the bed as well. "I think we should go to bed as well."

Train nodded and followed his partner willingly. The golden man laughed as Creed tucked him in as well, then pulled his husband down on the bed with him.

Creed laughed quietly when he fell on Train, trying to make sure he didn't wake up the sleeping girl. Train pressed his lips against Creed's and the silver man smiled joyfully at the feel of his cat. The golden man wrapped his arms around Creed's waist and the lawyer let out a breath of elated air as he ran his hands through his beloved's chocolate locks.

When Creed finally pulled away, he noticed his beloved's eyes were beginning to shut. The silver man giggled as he watched Train try to fight it. Creed traced his cat's face with his fingers and smiled warmly.

"Sleep, Love. Raising a child is a lot of work. I don't blame you for being this tired."

Train yawned, then nodded. He turned over and shut his eyes completely, allowing sleep to take him. Creed watched his husband sleep for a little, then kissed him gently on the head. He glanced over at Fantasy and felt his smile widen. Approaching the girl, he sighed happily at her sleeping form, brushing her hair away from her face.

He then turned towards the door, looking over his shoulder once more at his family. Creed had never had one before, and he couldn't believe how amazing it felt. He sighed, then shut the door slightly, making sure there was still a crack just in case either of them needed him. Obviously, Creed needed to go to bed as well, but before that he wanted to do some research.

After learning from Saya more about the female anatomy and how it worked, Creed knew he had to learn more. As strange as it felt searching topics regarding body parts neither or nor his husband had, he knew he had to learn more. The mere mention that they could have possibly given Fantasy a UTI from simply cleaning her incorrectly, he was beginning to wonder what else they had done wrong.

One of the first things that popped up in his search was how a woman properly wiped. He cringed when he realized they hadn't even gone over that with her, and now Creed desperately felt the need to push her doctor's appointment sooner. There's no telling how his mother had cared for her in that dirty alley, so she could have already been suffering from something.

Out of curiosity, he decided to look up symptoms of a UTI and felt his heart drop. Fantasy probably didn't understand what was normal and what wasn't about her body, but based on a few complaints she had while using the bathroom, Creed had a feeling she might have had a mild case.

_Great, add that to the list of things I think are wrong with her._

Based on how cold she was all the time, he was pretty sure she had anemia and now it looked like she might have a mild infection. Despite the late hour, Creed called the pediatrician and left a message trying to desperately move the appointment up. He didn't hold back how worried he sounded, hoping that would sway them to squeeze them in sooner.

It also occurred to him he might want to find a therapist for her as well. Considering his internet browsing had led him to puberty and sexual aspects of women and knowing he wasn't ready for that level of knowledge yet, he decided to look up child therapists.

He wrote down a few numbers, then went back to his searching of how to take care of a little girl. In just a few minutes, he had learned so much and was instantly thankful he had decided to do this search immediately. Creed stayed at the computer for several more hours, finding hundreds of books he and Train could read to help them give Fantasy a good life.

He ordered all of them. At this point, he wasn't worried about money. The paychecks he would be receiving from Sephiria's law firm comforted him immensely about any financial problems they might endure. Fantasy was also covered insurance wise. Since she was labeled as his independent, he knew she would have great medical coverage.

A new thought occurred to him and she closed all his browsers and opened a new one. This apartment wasn't going to be enough for them for much longer and his beloved already agreed to finding someplace a little bigger. Not too big, though. Train didn't want a lot and Creed agreed.

He caught a glimpse of a clock and realized how late it was. His back hurt from scrunching over his laptop and he was sure his eyes were beat red. Creed closed the laptop and rubbed his eyes. The silver lawyer stood and re-entered their bedroom. He smiled at the sight of his beloved's change in sleeping position. Fantasy's bed was at the foot of theirs, and apparently Train had turned his body so he was laying the wrong way so he could hold the girl's hand.

Creed climbed into bed next to his husband and curled close next to him. His blue eyes gazed lovingly at his cat, then drifted sleepily to his sister. The lawyer reached out his hand to her as well, sighing happily when he felt his small fingers grasp his tenderly.

Not able to fight his fatigue anymore, Creed shut his eyes, dreaming of the family he had longed for his whole life.

* * *

Creed was currently paying the bill for Fantasy's doctor's appointment. Behind him was Train sitting on the ground with his sister, playing with a toy train that was in the kids' area. She was feeling a little fragile after being poked and prodded, but the doctor had been kind and given her candy and sitting with Train definitely helped. As the receptionist walked away with his card for payment, Creed turned to watch the two play together.

"But that's you!" Fantasy said as Train ran the toy train along the ground.

The golden man frowned. "No. I'm me!"

She giggled. "But that's your name!"

Train pointed to himself. "My name is Bus?!"

"No!" the girl replied, giggling even louder now. "It's Train! That's a train!"

The cat frowned. "No, I'm pretty sure this is a bus."

Fantasy grabbed it from him and turned to Creed. "Is this a bus or a train?"

Creed smiled, happy to know she was including him in their fun more and more. "I'm pretty certain that's an airplane."

Train laughed and the girl sighed. "You are both so stupid…"

"Hey! Your big brother is a lawyer and I'm…" Train stopped and thought for a second, earning a giggle from the small girl next to him. "...And I'm clever!"

"Prove it!" She said as she crossed her arms against her chest.

Train thought again, tapping his finger on his chin and scratching his head thoughtfully. He looked at Fantasy from the corner of his eye and saw the small smirk behind her serious face and scooped her up in his arms to tickle her. The girl laughed loudly and tried to scramble away, but it was obvious she enjoyed the attention.

Creed watched them with a soft smile, then heard the receptionist had come back. She gave him his card back and explained the doctor would let them know of the results as soon as he got them back, but he was confident she was anemic. Creed thanked her and checked the bill again, happy to see how good his insurance was. This boded well for their next appointment, which was with a therapist. They had taken care of her physically, now he needed to know how she was mentally.

_She has to have_ _ **some**_ _demons residing in her. Her night terrors are proof enough of that._

He gave his husband and sister a few more minutes of horse play while he called a cab. Creed sighed as he confirmed the car, remembering how difficult it was to get her in one. Not only was it hard getting a small child into a car, she was really scared to get into a vehicle with someone she didn't know. Fantasy had to sit on Train's lap the whole time and cling to him tightly. The first time they took her in a car when they saved her from his mother she slept the whole ride. They didn't know about this problem until recently. This worried Creed, but was more reason they needed to take her to see a professional.

When the car was confirmed to be outside, Creed locked his phone and grabbed the travel bag they started to bring everywhere with them. He caught Train's eye and his beloved nodded and lifted the girl into his arm, trying to prepare himself and her for getting back into a car.

"Okay, we're going for another ride now. Are you ready?" Train spoke in a consoling tone, hoping that would be enough to soothe her.

Fantasy's eyes widened and she buried her face into Train's shoulder. He looked at Creed sadly when she cried loudly, beginning to cause a scene with her violent wails. Train left the room quickly, not wanting to disturb anyone else in the room any further. Creed ran after the two of them, following his cat down the stairs as the girl kept screaming.

When they reached the car, Train took a deep breath then jumped in. He didn't know why it scared her so much, but taking the bus or train was worse. There were more strangers there and Fantasy had a full on panic attack whenever they used other forms of public transportation. Creed slid in soon after him and Train frowned deeply as the girl shook and cried in his arms.

"We need to find a solution to this… She didn't have this reaction with the toy train."

The silver man nodded in agreement. "Probably because it's just a toy. Hopefully we'll have answers after our next appointment."

Train was weary when his husband informed him they were doing so much in one day, but after he pointed out to him they didn't really have a choice, he caved. They both were beginning to work and while Train's schedule was more flexible, Creed's soon would not be. On top of that, his husband made sure to point out that the longer they waited, the worse any of her potential issues would be. Now that they knew her fear of cars, Train was grateful his partner booked their day up with various forms of doctors.

Train tried to rock the girl in his arm, making reassuring noises in her ear and rubbing her back tenderly. As he comforted Fantasy, he couldn't help but feel even more respect for his partner. If this was any indication of what Creed's childhood was like, it was all that more impressive the lawyer turned out as good as he did.

Creed caught his beloved's eye and smiled, being able to read his thoughts. He rubbed Train's knee and mouthed his love and his thanks for caring about the girl so much, which earned a smile and nod from his cat.

The car stopped suddenly and Train immediately jumped out. He walked to the sidewalk and waited for Creed, who followed shortly after. They gave Fantasy a moment to calm down and realize she was no longer in the car, then Train sighed and kissed her head comfortingly.

"You're fine, Lil' Queen… Everything is okay…" Train bounced her a little in his arms as they walked up the stairs to the building they stood in front of.

Fantasy took a few breaths, trying to calm herself like Creed had taught her after he looked up how to handle panic attacks. It didn't work as she looked at Train anxiously. Creed saw this and intervened quickly.

"Fantasy, look at me." It took a minute, but she did. Creed held up all five fingers on his hand and looked her in the eyes. "I want you to pretend my fingers are candles you want to blow out. Don't stop breathing until all of them are down."

The girl looked at him strangely, then nodded. She blew at Creed's index finger lightly, then saw nothing happened so she tried a little harder. She repeated the same motions for his thumb, watching it fall and continuing the gesture on each of his other digits. Her mind began to focus on the task at hand which helped her forget about what she was scared about. When Creed put his pinky down, she felt better and smiled at her brother.

Creed sighed in relief and rubbed her hair. "Any time you feel that scared, Train and I can play that game with you."

Train was in shock at the change in Fantasy's demeanor. She was no longer tense and her cute smile had returned. The cat beamed thankfully at his husband, feeling more love for the man than he had ever felt before. Creed saw his cat's look and smiled, kissing him lightly on the lips as they approached the door to Fantasy's therapist. The silver man knocked and waited for confirmation they could enter, then followed directions.

The three of them stood at the door, Train and Creed looking at a rather large woman who was smiling brightly at them. She was very tall, taller than Sephiria and quite broad. They did not expect someone who looked so intimidating working as a child therapist. She stood as she greeted them, offered her hand to Creed, giving Train a minute to get his out since he was still holding Fantasy.

"Pleasure to meet you both. I'm Doctor Suman. Is this Fantasy?"

The girl clung closer to Train when the woman tried to greet her, digging her head into Train's shoulder. The cat frowned and addressed the woman.

"I'm sorry, she's extra scared of women… One of the reasons why we're here." Train knew it to be true, since she always asked Train to pick her up when they left the house and ran into an adult woman.

Suman nodded and smiled kindly at them. "Well then, let's have a seat and see if we can figure out how to help her."

They explained what their relationship to the girl and each other was, adding in Creed's childhood trauma with their mother and how they found her. The whole time, Fantasy was sitting on Train's lap, resting the side of her body against his as she played with the stuffed cat. Suman looked at her and smiled.

"Well, sounds like you've had a rough start in life." She noticed how tightly she was pressed against Train and decided to comment on that. "You really like Train, don't you?"

She nodded without looking at her. "He saved me…"

Train smiled and kissed her head. Suman nodded and spoke again. "Your brother saved you too, didn't he?"

Fantasy didn't respond. Instead, she kept playing with her cat.

"Didn't your brother go and get Train?"

Silent pause, then she nodded.

Suman laughed lightly. "So, Creed brought you your hero. What do you think that makes him?"

Fantasy shrugged her shoulders, genuinely not understanding.

"Would you say that also makes him a hero?"

Creed felt his heart skip a beat. He had always known his partner was a hero, Tak and the citizens of Hillwood proved that, but hearing himself referred to as a hero gave him confidence he didn't know he had.

Fantasy looked at her brother, then back to her toy. "I guess…"

Suman leaned forward a little. "Why does it feel easy to call Train your hero, but not Creed?"

She thought about that. The therapist could already tell she was a bright little girl, so she made her question a little more complicated. "Because he looks like that woman…"

Suman smiled sadly. "Your mommy?"

Fantasy grimaced. "She's not my mommy. Mommies don't treat kids how she treated me. Mommies love their children like Train loves me."

"And Creed?" Suman pushed, raising her eyebrow slightly.

The girl nodded, looking at Creed again and smiling a little. It was quick, but it meant the world to Creed. It had only been a few minutes and they were already making progress. The woman moved on, seeing having her make a better association with Creed was going to be easier than she thought. Fantasy also was already able to make a connection between right and wrong, which crossed a lot of possible problems off her list.

"Fantasy, can you tell me a little about the car?"

She froze and Suman could feel how tense she was from where she sat. The therapist looked at Train and gave him a warning look, trying to prepare him for the conversation that was about to ensue. It took some prodding, but she was able to get out of her what happened to make her so scared of entering a car.

Fantasy never liked cars because her mother would often enter them and leave her alone for days on end. She had to survive on scraps thrown in the alley or search garbage cans for them. Creed felt his eyes fill with angry tears, remembering all too well how he had to hunt for food as a child as well. Train was desperately trying to contain the rage filling his heart at her words. He wanted nothing more than to find the woman and beat her to the pulp for giving this beautiful little girl even an ounce of pain.

What she said next shook the Train and Creed to their core. Apparently, there was a point when Creed's mother had brought the girl along with her and some men. Fantasy sat in the car and watched as the men had their way with her mother. That was enough to traumatize anyone, but then his mother was asked to perform certain acts on her daughter for extra money.

While Fantasy didn't understand fully what was happening, she was smart enough to know when to run. She described how she jumped out of the car and ran as fast as she could down the street. However, being as small as she was and the fact that her mother was in a car, they caught up to her in no time.

Train gripped the girl tighter in his arms and kissed her head as she spoke. Creed rubbed her back soothingly, asking her if she needed to play that game again. She shook her head and continued.

"Mommy grabbed her and I screamed loud. My throat hurt because I was screaming…"

Suman nodded and wrote down what the girl was saying, but kept her eyes on Fantasy. "It's okay, you're doing great. Can you tell us what happened next?"

Fantasy nodded. "The men said I was too loud and left." She rubbed her cheek. "Mommy hit me really hard when they left and said it was my fault she didn't have money."

Train gave the therapist a fiery look. "We need to go arrest her!"

Creed understood his partner's anger, but knew it would do no good. "Train… What is the system going to do that we haven't already done? She's been arrested and that clearly did nothing and we took her daughter away."

Train growled. "She needs to see justice for what she's done…"

Suman decided to enter the conversation. "Don't you think it's already been served to her?"

The cat blinked at the woman, then sighed. He knew she was talking about. Life had certainly given her the worst hand of cards possible. After being in jail and having both of her kids taken away, there really wasn't anything more they could do.

Train sighed, then nodded in agreement. "That's fair I guess…"

"She needs help and she isn't going to get it by being put through the court system again…" Creed met his beloved's gaze and smiled. "I only hope she uses the resources I offered to her to get help. William even said he'd work on getting her in a halfway house."

Train smiled comfortingly at his husband, then caressed his cheek fondly. "You're a good man, Creed."

Suman let the small family have their moment, then asked Creed a question. "Mr. Diskence… Have you experienced anything like that with your mother?"

The silver man nodded. "Yes… She starved me often, beat me almost every day, and even tried to sell me to a man… However, that last part didn't happen until I was eighteen. And she never tried to touch me in **that** way..."

The therapist nodded sympathetically. "I think one thing that will help is getting your own car. She knows and trusts you both, so if she gets into a car with people she knows, it will lessen the burden. As for her anxiety in regards to you, I think she just needs time to get over that. I assume you look like your mother?"

Creed nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah… Unfortunately…"

Train kissed his hand. "Don't worry, Silver Dollar, you're both **very** cute."

Suman watched as Creed blushed and thanked his husband. Just by seeing how the men looked at each other, she could tell how healthy their relationship was and how in love they were with each other. This comforted her beyond belief since they intended on raising a traumatized little girl together.

"Also, Fantasy really likes chocolate." She looked at the small girl and smiled, noticing her ears perked when Suman said that word. "Isn't that right?"

The girl shook her head violently. "People used to drop those triangle chocolates all the time in front of the alley. They were yummy."

Train cocked an eyebrow, then looked at Creed who shrugged his shoulders. Suman, however, knew what she was talking about. "Those are called Kisses."

Fantasy shook her head. "No, kisses are what Train gives me and Creed when he's happy."

The cat chuckled and gave her a kiss on the head, then planted one on Creed's cheek. "She's right, Doc. I do love giving kisses."

The therapist laughed at the golden man's cheeky smile. "I'm talking about Hershey's Kisses. That's the chocolate Fantasy means. If you carry that around and try to give her good associations with cars, that might help."

Creed gave her a strange look. "Like training a dog…?"

Suman brushed his words away. "I know that may be what it sounds like, but the way her mind works at her age, she's still making associations with everything. I also think Creed should be the one to give them to her. That'll help her disassociate you from her mother."

Train and Creed made a confirmation sound and looked at each other. The lawyer smiled happily at the look on his love's face. "I'll make sure to carry them around in her bag."

Train smiled again, which only made Creed's smile brighter. It didn't matter how many times his cat gave him that cheeky look, his heart would always flutter in his chest rapidly.

"I'll enjoy that too!"

Fantasy looked up at her hero. "I'm not sharing!"

Train frowned down at her. "Oh yes you will!"

Creed watched adoringly as Train poked the girl in his lap, enjoying the bond they had formed and prayed he could make one just as close to his sister. The silver man lost himself in the image of his beloved and sister playing, but his attention turned to the woman when she cleared her throat.

Suman smiled warmly at Train and Fantasy, then continued. "As for her fear of women… I think it's clear what's causing that. That will take time, but as long as you let me work with her, I think we can get her past that."

The silver man smiled and nodded. "You got more out of her in an hour than either of us could in a month. We will definitely be back."

Suman smiled in return and wrote on a pad of paper. "I have a list of books you can read to help raise her. I have a feeling you're the reading type, so I'd like to make some suggestions, if that's okay?"

Creed nodded and took the paper. He read down the list and laughed a little. "I actually already ordered most of these books last night."

Suman blinked at him. "Really?"

The silver man gave her a curious look. "Yes. Is that unusual?"

The woman shook her head then chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's just…" She looked at Train who was tickling and loving on the small girl, earning several giggles and smiles from her, then to Creed who was already looking up the books she suggested and very obviously buying them right on the spot.

The therapist smiled warmly. "I've never seen a couple who was not only so clearly in love with each other, but so dedicated to their child's well being…"

Seeing Creed look at her strangely, she elaborated. "I understand the situation is different, but that's what makes me all the more confident you'll both be more than adequate in raising her. I've never seen two people in such a unique situation that I felt more sure would come out stronger than ever."

The silver man smiled happily at the woman as he eyed his beloved. "You really think we're strong enough to survive this?" It had been hard for him, and he wanted a professional opinion.

Suman nodded, knowing exactly what his insecurities were. "Mr. Diskence… Never in my twenty years in this profession have I seen a couple so devoted to each other and to a child. I have zero doubt that, as long as you both stay on the path you are currently on, you will raise a healthy young woman. It's only been a month, and you've already taken more steps than couples who have a teenager in need of help."

Creed sighed and glanced at his beloved and sister. Train was nuzzling his nose against Fantasy's and the girl was giggling vibrantly as she rubbed the cat's nose in return. He could see how much they loved each other in that moment, and when Train turned his gaze to him, making it clear he had heard what the therapist had said, the silver man felt his heart fly.

Train's smile spoke depths of love only Creed could understand, and the lawyer returned the gesture. The men shared a moment no one else could ever comprehend, and Creed knew in that moment his life was complete. There was nothing else he could ever ask from the universe, and he turned back to the therapist.

"What about the night terrors? She wakes up all the time from them. I suffered from them too until I met Train."

Suman nodded. "We can work on that. However, until then, I don't think it will hurt to have her crawl into bed with you if she needs to. After all, Train was able to stop yours, wasn't he?"

Creed smiled and nodded. "But… Won't that just make it harder when she gets her own room?"

The therapist smiled. "Yes, but that's nothing we can't work through. Obviously, she can't stay in your bed forever, but for the time being, won't hurt. Any time she can sleep in her bed alone is great, but until then it'll be okay. She's extremely traumatized and Train provides a lot of comfort for her like he did for you. There's nothing wrong in indulging her while she's young and working through the worst of it. We'll help wean her off of that dependence."

Creed stood, offering his hand to the woman. "Thank you, Doctor Suman. When are you available next week?"

They scheduled a weekly time to take Fantasy to a therapist. Creed was ecstatic to know they were taking all the right steps for his sister and to have confirmation from a professional how strong his relationship with his beloved was. Looking at his husband's face, he knew Train felt the same way.

As they stepped out of the building, Creed was about to call a car to pick them up and Train took his phone away.

"What are you doing, Train?"

"We're going house hunt next, right?" Train questioned as he looked through Creed's phone to see where the first place they were looking at was.

The silver man nodded. "Yes…"

"Looks like the first place is about five miles that way?" Train pointed down the street and waited for his husband's response.

"Yes…" Creed didn't like where he was going with this.

He watched as his cat smirked as he walked away. "You heard the woman. We need to get our own car. Until then, we should walk." Train adjusted Fantasy in his arms, the girl beginning to fall asleep from all the excitement she had encountered in the day.

"Train, we won't make it on time for our appointment if we walk!" Creed called after his beloved.

The golden man shrugged his shoulders. "If we don't make it then it's not meant to be!"

Creed sighed and caught up with them. "But… **Five** miles Train?" He lugged Fantasy's travel bag across his shoulder and groaned quietly.

His cat smirked and waved at him as he kept up his pace. "Yeah, it's **only** five miles. I would say Fantasy's mental state is worth the walk, wouldn't you?"

Creed sighed and followed after them. "That's not fair…"

Train smirked and looked back at his partner. "Then maybe you should start running with me in the morning."

Creed shook his head. "No. My daily strength training is enough."

He had decided to start taking better care of himself after they took Fantasy home. Every day, he made sure to put twenty minutes aside to lift some weights, much to Train's delight.

The cat smirked as his husband caught up with them again, choosing to ignore what he said. "What kind of car should we get?"

The silver man blinked as he watched his husband walk away. "But, Train, I don't even know how to drive..."

His love laughed as he grabbed his hand, his other arm still holding the now sleeping girl. "Then I guess you'd better learn. Add it to that list you're keeping!"

Creed frowned deeply, wanting to continue his argument with his beloved as they made the journey to their next destination. "The list is getting full! Where am I going to fit that in?"

Train laughed. "You'll make it work. You always do."

The silver man blushed as Train kissed him lightly. When Creed pulled away from his beloved, he caressed Fantasy's hair gingerly, smiling at the young girl's sleeping form. He felt more confident in taking care of her after today. Every professional they had spoken to assured him they were doing everything right and made sure to point them in the right direction to keep making good choices. It was comforting to know they were on the right path.

He watched as his love walked down the street holding his little sister in one arm and his hand in the other. Creed was eternally grateful to his cat for accepting such a dramatic change in their lives with no questions. However, as he looked at his husband's soft eyes watching the sleeping child, he knew Train was more than happy to make the compromise. Train then looked at him lovingly and squeezed his hand gently.

_Train wouldn't have it any other way. He loves me and Fantasy more than anything else._

Suddenly, Train stopped at a tall apartment building. Creed frowned at the face his love made, then looked at the building. "Train? What is it?"

He was silent for a minute, then spoke. "This place has a vacancy…"

Creed nodded at the sign in the window. "Yes, and?"

Train looked at him. "Well, we're looking for a new place, right?"

The silver man blinked at Train. "Yes… But this place isn't on the list."

Train brushed his words aside. "List smist! I have a good feeling. Let's go in."

"Train wait!" He followed after his cat who was already running up the stairs to find the office. "We don't have an appointment!"

"Doesn't matter! Like I said, I have a feeling!"

Creed sighed in exacerbation. " **What** feeling?"

"A good feeling!" Was all Train said as he found the office and walked in.

Creed rolled his eyes. "That's not an answer…"

Train beamed happily down at a small, older man who sat behind a desk and looked very surprised to see them. "Hey! You own this building?"

The man nodded hesitantly. "Yes… Can I help you?"

"You sure can! You have a vacancy?"

He nodded again. "It just opened up yesterday." He checked his calendar. "You don't have an appointment…"

Train pushed his calendar down. "Do you have any appointments today?" Seeing the strained look on his face was the only answer he needed. Train stood tall and smiled. "Great! Take us to it!"

As they walked Creed tried to reason with his beloved that he had done no research on this building or the owner, nor did he know how much it cost. Train simply laughed at his stressed husband, brushing every anxious word he spewed aside.

"I told you, I have a feeling." He cupped Creed's chin and smiled. "Trust me…"

Unable to say no to that face, Creed sighed and nodded. When the man opened the door, Creed left his heart skip a beat at what they saw.

The room they walked into was a very large common area. One of the walls was basically just a large window which gave a beautiful view of the city. Attached to it was a kitchen and Creed rather enjoyed the open floor plan it had. There was a long hallway to the left of the kitchen, which Creed knew had to lead to the bedroom.

Before he could ask any questions, Train spoke to the owner. "How many bedrooms?"

"Three." He said simply, leaning against the doorway as the small family entered the room.

Train looked at Creed. "More than we need, but one can be an office or guest room. What about bathrooms?" He asked again, stepping into the large apartment.

"Two. One is down the hall, the other is attached to the master bedroom."

Train smiled at his partner. "Hear that, Creed? **Master** bedroom."

Creed rolled his eyes. "They call them that everywhere, Love…"

Still, he could not get over how nice this place was. He looked up at the tall ceiling and smiled, seeing there was a window they could easily access from a small set of stairs that led to it. He glanced at Train and noticed his beloved had seen that too and chuckled at his smirk. Train loved high places, and since they were on the top floor, he knew that window must have led to the roof.

However, Creed had to know the purpose of it. "What's that for?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. I assume some kind of fire escape? There are stairs on the roof that lead down to the streets."

Creed nodded. "Makes sense I guess…"

Train walked into the kitchen then asked one more question. "Do either of the bathrooms have a tub?" He gestured to the sleeping girl in his arms. "We need a tub."

He nodded. "They both do."

The cat smirked as he walked down the hall, leaving Creed and the man alone for a second. This gave the lawyer time to ask some questions. He was shocked to hear how affordable the place was and utilities were included. It seemed like the man didn't really put much thought into how much it should really cost and Creed decided not to question it.

"Creed! Come and look at this!"

Creed walked down the hallway briskly to find Train standing in the master bedroom. He gasped when he saw the large bay windows on one of the walls. The window was a bit higher than most bay windows, but here was a small step embedded in the wall that allowed the occupants to step up.

The silver man smiled affectionately as he watched his beloved stand in the window. It was tall enough that Train could stand tall and have room to spare. When his beloved turned around and Creed saw the setting sun radiating behind him, he sighed happily. Train smiled hopefully, which was the last thing he needed to see before making a decision.

_Damn his spot on gut… Now I have to cancel every other appointment…_

Creed nodded his head, smiling lovingly at his cat who was still staring at him pleadingly.

"We'll take it…"

* * *

Train laughed as Fantasy attempted to tickle him. The girl's hands were too small to actually do any damage, but he knew she loved seeing him laugh. The cat rolled on the ground, begging for mercy from the young child until she finally pulled away.

Fantasy fell on top of him, hoping she could still get a hug after she attacked the older man. She yipped happily when her hero squeezed her tightly, nuzzling close to his chest as she smiled gleefully.

Creed entered the room at the moment and smiled. "It's time to eat."

Fantasy frowned when Train let go and tried to lead her to the table. "But I want to keep playing…"

Train smiled and carried her to the table. "No, it's dinner time. Play time will continue later."

Creed thanked his beloved quietly as he set Fantasy down at the table. The golden man nodded and kissed Creed's cheek gingerly, taking a seat between him and his sister. They began their meal contentedly and enjoyed each other's company until Train's phone began to ring.

The cat was in the middle of taking a bite of food offered to him by Fantasy when he felt the vibrations in his pocket. He frowned and answered the phone, sighing when he heard the desperate voice on the other end.

"I understand… I'm on my way."

His family frowned at him as he stood and walked towards the front door. Train felt his heart drop at the double sad faces he received.

_Great, now I'm always going to have twice the amount of guilt thrown at me…_

He spoke to both of them as he put his shoes on. "I won't be long, I promise. It's a small job that will actually help with the downpayment of the new apartment." Train made sure to look at Creed when he said this, wanting his husband to understand why he was leaving.

The lawyer frowned, but nodded nonetheless. Train blew them both a kiss before he left, leaving the Diskences alone. This was the first time Creed had been left alone with his sister, and he didn't like how awkward it made him feel. He looked at the small girl and smiled weirdly.

_Calm down, Creed. Just think what Train does with her and do that. She shares your blood after all. You should be able to spend time alone with her._

"When is Train coming back?"

Creed felt his heart shatter when he realized the girl was looking at the door desperately for Train. He shook his head, knowing he needed to bond more with the girl.

"Soon…" He wanted to kick himself at the one word response, hating how stupid he sounded without his beloved.

_Think, what did you like at her age? Other than Train, that is…_

He knew Fantasy wasn't that much younger than he was when he fell in love with Train, so he had to think what else he did to distract him from his desire to be with Train. Creed smiled, knowing now exactly what he should have done in the first place to bond with his sister.

"How about a story?" Creed lifted her into the air, feeling her little body tense as he picked her up.

Fantasy looked at him nervously, but nodded his head. "I like stories…"

Creed brought her to their bedroom and laid her down as he pulled out a book they borrowed from the Gotos. It was getting close to her bedtime anyway, so he thought this was a good time to try and put her to bed.

He dug through the books until he found the perfect one. Creed smiled when he found "The Ugly Duckling," remembering it was one of his favorites as a kid. He always connected with it, hoping it would tell him what his future was. Creed never thought he was ugly, but he knew what it was like to feel unwanted.

The silver man showed the book to the girl and she smiled and nodded. Although she couldn't read the words, she liked the artwork on the cover. Creed sighed in relief and opened the book. As he read to his sister, he noticed her eyes were attached to him and the pictures in the story. The glow that emitted from her eyes reminded him so much of his own when he was a kid.

_But I had to wait until I knew how to read to hear the story. No one ever read to me._

"Wait, they were mean to the baby duck because he was ugly?" Fantasy questioned as she looked up at her big brother.

Creed nodded. "Yes, some people are mean like that."

Fantasy slumped in her bed. "I know…"

The silver man frowned, realizing his choice of words might not have been the best. He turned to the last page where the duck had turned into a beautiful swan. "But, you can see he proved everyone wrong and lived a happy life."

"But… Isn't that because he wasn't ugly anymore?"

Creed eyed the girl curiously, surprised she had made such a profound connection to a child's book at her age. "That's… One way to look at it. But, you can also see it as the duckling grew up and learned how to be a better duck."

"But, there wasn't anything wrong with him in the beginning."

Creed smiled. "Everyone can do better."

Fantasy frowned, not quite understanding what Creed meant. The silver man thought about how else he could describe this to his little sister. He smiled when an idea occurred to him.

"Let's use ice cream as an example. You love ice cream, right?" He chuckled when the girl nodded her head vigorously. "So, plain ice cream is yummy, but what makes it better?"

She smiled. "Whipped cream!"

Creed laughed again. "What else?"

"Chocolate!"

"Anything else?" Creed pushed one more time.

"Sprinkles!" She giggled and threw her hands in the air.

Creed laughed at her enthusiasm. "That's right. But, does that mean ice cream needs that to be yummy?" Fantasy shook her head. "That's just like the baby duck… and people. There's nothing wrong with them when they're little, but as they grow up they get different yummy things added to them that make them better."

Fantasy seemed to be starting to understand, but had one more question. "What about Mommy?"

The lawyer sighed, knowing what she meant. Clearly people like her did **not** get better over time. "What happens when you leave ice cream out?"

Fantasy thought for a second, then answered. "It melts."

Creed nodded. "Yes. If you aren't careful, people can be left out and melt like ice cream."

"People can melt?!"

Creed laughed and patted her head. "No, no, no. What I mean is, people like Mother didn't take care of themselves, so they spoiled." Seeing she didn't understand what the word meant, he elaborated. "She went bad."

Fantasy nodded. "Can she be good again?"

The silver man sighed. "Only if she makes changes… Like our duckingly did."

Bringing it back full circle, he sighed then smiled softly at the yawning girl, closing the book and pulling her blankets above her head. Creed hoped and prayed this was the beginning of a happy life for her, knowing she already had more than Creed did at that age.

"Did you change like the baby duck?" Fantasy's voice was quiet as she spoke.

Creed smiled and brushed her hair with his fingers. "Kind of… I had to fight for what I wanted."

Fantasy looked at him curiously. "What did you want?"

The silver man chuckled lightly and poked her nose. "I wanted Train."

The girl frowned. "You didn't have him?"

Creed shook his head. "No. But, I got him, didn't I?"

She giggled and nodded her head. "I'm happy you did. Now you can be happy and I can be happy and Train can be happy!"

Creed smiled as the girl amused herself by rolling happily in her bed. When she stopped, he squeezed her cheek softly. The lawyer sighed to himself as he watched her yawn again, her eyes beginning to shut, then reopen again quickly. He smiled and caressed her forehead gingerly.

_Leave it to a little girl to make me realize how much more I have in common with a children's book than I realized._

He glanced over at a picture he kept of him and Train next to his side of their bed.

_Train was my Ugly Duckling transformation._

Fantasy fell asleep for a second, then opened her eyes again, waking herself up as she searched the room for someone. "Where's Train?"

Creed sighed and petted her hair soothingly. "He'll be back soon, I promise."

She frowned and looked at him sadly. "Can you give me my warm milk then? I can't sleep without it..."

The silver man felt his heart lift. Train gave her a warm glass of milk every night and she never accepted it from Creed before. The fact that she was asking for it meant so much to him.

"Absolutely. I'll be right back."

The silver man left the room and returned quickly with her warm glass of milk. Fantasy took it eagerly and drank it almost as fast as Train did. When she handed the empty glass back to him, Creed set it on the floor and sat next to her bed. The lawyer saw her yawn again and touched her hair soothingly. Seeing her eyes begin to close, he Creed smiled.

"You ready to go to sleep?"

Fantasy shook her head, but her eyes gave away how she actually felt. However, before she fell asleep, her inquisitive mind needed to know the answer to something. "Brother… Why did mommy not want me?"

Creed felt a mix of emotions fill his heart. While he loved the fact she had called him brother, he wanted to make sure he approached this the right way. Fantasy had never called him brother before, and he wanted to find the best way to handle that question without ruining the bond they were beginning to form. He decided he needed to just be as truthful with her as possible. This answer was going to be for both himself and her.

"Because… She doesn't know what life is about."

Fantasy frowned tiredly at him. "What's it about?"

Creed smiled warmly and caressed her cheek, knowing the answer in his heart was the correct one seeing his smirking cat in his mind's eye. "It's about being happy and spending your life with people who make you happy."

Fantasy smiled, seeming to like his response. She reached out to grab his hand and Creed took it immediately. "Can I spend my life with you and Train?"

The silver man smiled happily and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Yes… We wouldn't have it any other way." He pet her hair again and smiled. "Train and I both want you here, Sister… That's why we took you."

Fantasy smiled, her intelligent mind understanding the depths of Creed's words more than he expected her to. "Thank you…"

Creed watched as she fell asleep peacefully, sure she had never been able to sleep so soundly in her life before. He watched her for a moment longer, feeling proud of himself for being able to reach her on such a profound level. Finally, he stood and changed into his sleeping attire. The silver man climbed into bed, making sure his head was at the foot of the bed so he could hold his sister's hand.

Feeling the relationship between them growing, he didn't want to let go of her. It was hard for Creed to connect so deeply with anyone other than Train so every time it happened, he knew he needed to hold tight to it. Plus, this was his sister and now adopted daughter. He needed her to trust him.

Creed felt sleep take over his body as he gazed at his sister one more time. A small smile graced his face as he looked at her, allowing the child to be the last thing he saw before he fell asleep.

Neither of them heard when Train entered the apartment again. He was moving very quickly, worried he had left his husband and Fantasy in an awkward position. They hadn't been alone together at all, and he knew the girl was still a little nervous around Creed.

"Hello?" He called, waiting to see if anyone responded. Hearing nothing but silence, he walked around the apartment.

Train peaked into the kitchen and saw it was still a mess from dinner. He then walked into the common room and found it empty, then finally checked their bedroom. The cat opened the door and smiled, seeing his favorite people both asleep. Creed was holding Fantasy's hand, which made Train sigh happily.

He closed the door slightly and headed back to the kitchen to clean up. Clearly, his husband didn't have the time to do so after Train had left. The cat knew his partner well enough to know the lawyer wouldn't leave a mess without a good reason.

Once he was done, he re-entered his bedroom and yawned. Train changed his clothes and climbed into the bed next to Creed. He wrapped his arm tightly around the man and kissed his sliver locks lovingly. The golden man heard Creed let out a happy noise as he moved his body closer to Train's. Chuckling quietly, Train kissed the back Creed's head again gently and put his other hand on Fantasy's forehead.

Train watched them both as he felt his eyes slowly close. A smile graced his lips as he drifted off to sleep, making sure to kiss his husband one more time before he allowed dreamland to take him. His body was too tired to fight it anyway. He had a long day with Fantasy, followed by a few hours of chasing down a missing teen who apparently would rather have been hiding in the woods with her boyfriend than at home with her parents. It was an easy and quick case, but exhausting nonetheless.

_At least this turned out to be a paying job._ _I wonder if Fantasy is going to put us through that when she's that age…_

Train pushed the thought aside, deciding it was a future Train's problem. Present Train wanted to enjoy the moment and sleep next to his husband without any worries of the girl's potential teenage problems. The cat sighed as he fell asleep, smiling wonderfully at the feel of the two people he loved most in the world laying blissfully beneath his arms.

Train slept like that for a minute longer before he heard cries coming from the small girl in the room. Train and Creed woke immediately, turning their attention to Fantasy who had apparently started crying in her sleep. Train was instantly kneeling next to her, trying to wake the child up from her nightmare.

Her green eyes shot open quickly and she was breathing heavily. Train picked her up and held her close, trying to shush away her fear.

"Shh, Little Queen, I'm here…" He rocked her back and forth in his arms, looking at Creed with a scared face.

Creed, seeing how panicked she was, was reminded of what Suman had said and of his own nightmares at her age. He could feel his anxiety rise a little at the thought, then shook his head to be rid of it. Seeing how calm she became from Train's embrace, Creed gave his cat a small nod.

"The doctor said it was fine to let her sleep with us for now… Bring her over."

Train smiled at his husband and brought her to their bed with him. He didn't think he'd be able to get her back in her bed even if he tried. She was clinging so tightly to him, it was as if she thought she would die if she let go.

As the cat held her against his chest, pulling the blankets over all three of them, he gave Creed a grateful look. "Thank you, Creed."

Creed nodded and rubbed the girl's back comfortingly. "I know if I had you holding me at that age while I fought through some painful memories, I would have been better off. She needs your comfort right now, Train. And I'm not gonna be the one to deny her that."

Train smiled and used one of his hands to run through Creed's silver locks. "I wish I could have been there for you sooner…"

"You were always there for me, Love. You just didn't know it…" He took Train's hand and kissed it delicately, wrapping his fingers around his beloved's affectionately.

The cat chuckled and caressed Creed's fingers that held onto his firmly. "Well, in that case… I'm happy to have been and be of service to you both."

Fantasy had finally stopped crying and was now humming happily in her sleep as she kept her body close to Train's.

"I'm happy you love her so much. She really needs your love." The silver man twirled his sister's hair around his finger, noticing how the color matched his perfectly.

Train grinned at the girl in his arms. "How could I not adore a mini version of you?"

Creed chuckled and squeezed his love's hands. His eyes began to close despite himself. He didn't want to let the image of his beloved's beautiful, adoring face consoling his damaged sister fade, but taking care of a small child had taken a toll on his body.

Before he fell asleep fully, he smiled and kissed Train's hand. "I love you, Train…"

Train watched as his husband fell asleep and smiled at Creed and Fantasy. He kissed his partner's hand in return, then the top of the sleeping girl's head, enjoying the happy noises both Diskences made when he did that.

"I love you, Creed…"

As he fell asleep, he etched the image of both sleeping beauties in his mind. He had lost his family long ago, and he was finally feeling at peace to have a new one. The golden man had felt so incomplete for so long. It wasn't until now that he realized what he had been searching for all this time until this moment.

_A family… I wanted to be a part of a family again..._

As unconventional as they were, Creed and Fantasy were **his** family now… And Train wouldn't let anything take away what he had suffered so long to find again.

Train smiled and shut his eyes. In his dreams, he met his parents again. They reminded him of their love and told him how proud they were of him for everything he had accomplished in life. In his dreams, he was able to have his old family meet his new one, and he sighed in finality.

Before he fell asleep fully, he squeezed Creed's arm and Fantasy's body one more time, nuzzling his face between the two people he loved more than anyone else in the world.

"I really am a lucky guy…"

With that, he fell into a deep slumber. The chains on his heart and soul had finally been released. He was free again. He was free of pain, free of suffering, and free of nightmares. His life was finally complete now that he had everything he needed right there in that moment and in his arms.


	28. Epilogue

This is officially the last time I will be updating this story and it will be marked as finished. My heart is sad it's over and I hope you all enjoyed it. I will miss writing this story since I loved it so so so much, but I will be looking back at "A Different Fate" to finish that up as well.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around to read it. Enjoy the epilogue.

CW: Yaoi

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or it's characters.

* * *

**_Ten Years Later_ **

A small, thin girl glanced out her window briefly, before bringing her green eyes back to the book in her hand. Her pale skin and silver hair shone brightly in the rising sun. She squinted a little at the intruding rays, growling as she stood to close her blinds. She had been up for an hour already, desperately wanting to read the book she had just gotten from her brother as an early birthday present.

Fantasy was turning thirteen tomorrow, which also happened to be the same day as her guardians' anniversary. It was the anniversary of when they started dating, not when they got married. Creed insisted on recognizing that day every year, since he said it marked the beginning of 'the most unbelievably marvelous relationship the world had ever seen', as he put it.

Both Train and Creed said they weren't doing anything special for her birthday, but she knew they were. She was a kid genius, after all, but it didn't take a genius to figure out they were planning a surprise party for her.

Fantasy felt bad they were putting their anniversary aside for her, but she knew her birthday was more important to them than to her. Becoming a teenager was apparently a big deal, even though her aging was much to Train's dislike. He had been moping around the apartment for days knowing she'd be an official teenager soon, complaining about how his 'Little Queen' was growing up too fast. The girl chuckled lightly at the thought, turning a page as she kicked her foot a little in the air.

_I should try and plan something for them as well. It's not like I think turning thirteen is a big deal._

Personally, she didn't care about becoming a teenager. She already had colleges looking to accept her into their programs, but her brother and Train insisted she continue going to 'normal' school so she could have a 'normal' teenage experience. They were uncomfortable enough as it was that she skipped a year of school and had started high school at twelve years old, but she always acted far older than she was. Train didn't like that either.

_Well, if it were up to him, I'd stay a little kid forever. Not that it matters anyway… I can't really connect with anyone my age or older._

She had met several college students already and connected with them a little bit. However, she could tell they were intimidated by her. None of them were mean which was a relief, but Fantasy only had a handful of friends that were in high school.

She had met college students because Creed understood the importance of fostering her intelligence, so while she was still attending a regular high school, her brother signed her up for a few college courses. He told her if she got her basic credits out of the way, it would give her more time to decide what she wanted to major in and start taking those courses before high school was over.

Her choice of major wasn't really a difficult decision to make. Ever since she was old enough to read, she became obsessed with books about space, so she knew she wanted to go into astrophysics. She read every single book she could get her hands on that had anything to do with the universe, and her room was covered in posters of the stars and planets. Math was also her strongest subject, so she didn't think she'd have any problem in that field.

She smirked proudly at herself, turning another page as she thought about the first time Creed introduced physics to her. Her brother was beyond impressed with how much she was able to grasp at the age of ten, and she had only gotten better since then. She was already learning at a college level by the time she was in fourth grade and her teachers didn't know what to do to challenge her. With Train and Creed's permission, they began taking videos of her solving complicated problems and sharing them on the internet. This is what made universities discover her and want to recruit her at such a young age.

Luckily, Creed had similar experiences in school and knew exactly how to handle it. The only reason he hadn't been taking college courses at her age was his deplorable living and financial situation. Also, he told her over and over again how he didn't want to leave Train since this was back when the cat didn't know Creed existed and he wasn't going to give up on wooing the man.

It was hard to find a teacher who could teach her at the level she was at while keeping her age in mind, so Creed was her math tutor. He was a genius as well, so he was able to not only teach her, but know when he could push her further. Fantasy really didn't understand why people dreaded the subject so much. As long as you knew the pattern, you could figure out the answer to any problem.

She smiled at another memory she had with the men that raised her. Her 'Big King', as she liked to call him, tried to learn with her.

_He was drooling in his sleep five minutes into the lesson._

Fantasy giggled at the memory. She had alway been extra attached to Train, and that didn't change with her age. While she loved her brother very much, there was a bond she had with the cat that she couldn't explain. However, If something ever happened to either of them, she knew she would never be able to choose between them. She laughed at herself for having that thought.

_They're never going to separate. They love each other_ _ **way**_ _too much._

Fantasy cringed a little thinking about that. Her adopters loved each other a sickening amount in her opinion. She knew to an extent that they were playing it up to tease her, but Fantasy caught them doing something sweet and loving every time they didn't think she was looking. A lot of her classmates' parents had gone through a divorce, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Creed and Train would never part.

The strength of their union made her want to do something special for their anniversary even more. They had given her so much of their love, patience, and time over the years she knew they deserved it. Between Creed helpinging her study and prepare for college courses, Train doing physical training with her, and both of them constantly taking her to therapy and doctor appointments, she knew they didn't have much time for each other.

Remembering the reason for her many doctor appointments, Fantasy put her book aside for a second to take her daily iron pills. She had been given the diagnosis of anemic when she was a kid and had learned how to take care of it. Smirking, she also reached under her bed and grabbed some chocolate she kept there. That was something she was allowed to have a lot of since she was anemic.

Fantasy hummed happily to herself as she ate her chocolate and pulled out her dream journal for her therapist. She had gotten past most of her early childhood trauma, but considering how much she had been through the first few years of her life, therapy was going to be an ongoing journey for her. Creed had even started going with her so they could talk about their mother together. Train noted how much better her brother's emotional well being had improved since attending the sessions with her.

_Aunt Saya, Eve and Sven all confirmed that as well. They have all been surprised at the progress he's made._

Saya was the only one she had actually given a familial title too because the girl insisted. Even though Train and Creed acted as her father figures, she didn't call either of them dad. It felt weird because Creed was actually her brother and Train was... Well, Train. She tried once when she was a kid and noticed he didn't seem to care for it. After that, she decided to stick with his first name or King, which he apparently loved.

_I don't understand why Aunt Saya wants me to call her Aunt. Eve and Sven don't care. Not even Jenos or Rinslet._

Pulling out her reading book again and turning another page she decided it didn't matter. Over the years, she learned the woman was very strange, even stranger than Train. And when the two of them were together, it was almost impossible to stick to any plans. They were constantly flipping the script and doing whatever they wanted. She didn't know how their spouses handled it, but she also knew that was part of their charm.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her door slowly open, but there was no one behind it. She smiled, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Train did this almost every morning to get her for breakfast. Fantasy already knew he was crawling on the ground, trying to sneak up on her.

"Oh no. I wonder why my door opened all by itself." Her voice was completely devoid of emotion and her eyes never left her book.

She heard Train hit the corner of her bed and curse under his breath, which made her have to stifle a giggle. "Oh jeez, why did my bed just move and curse quietly? Bed's don't talk or move."

Again, her voice was monotone, but she could feel the corner of her lips peel up in a tighter smile. She bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing, keeping her green eyes on her book as Train crawled to the side of her bed, peeking his head up to see what she was doing. She shoved the rest of her chocolate in her mouth and braced herself for impact, already knowing what the cat had planned.

That was the moment the golden eyed man pounced, shouting out loudly as he tackled her to the bed. Fantasy laughed and held on to her book, trying to push Train away as he tickled her fiercely.

"Stop it! I give! Uncle, uncle!"

Train moved away and Fantasy grimaced when she realized her King was completely covered in sweat.

"Ew, Train! Did you go for a run already?" Fantasy scooted away from the feline man, wiping off her arms to get rid of his sweat.

He looked down at himself, noticing he had sweat through his thin, white shirt. "I go every morning, you know that!"

The teen stuck out her tongue in disgust. "But you didn't shower before you came to attack me?!"

Train frowned. "I didn't have time… Creed told me to come get you right now." He frowned and crawled across the bed towards her again. "Are you saying you don't want to give me a good morning hug?"

Fantasy's eyes widened when her hero moved closer and she jumped off the bed. "No! Stay away! You're gross!"

Train clutched his heart as he laid on her bed. "Ow! That hurts, Lil' Queen!"

She reached over to grab her book that still rested on her pillow and glared at him. "And get off my bed! You're gonna get the sheets all sweaty!"

Train frowned again and looked down at her sheets. He rolled over to see if he left a stain and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that bad…"

She gestured towards the mark he left. "No that bad! You greased it all up!"

Train rolled his eyes. "You're just like your brother."

He stood from the bed and gave her a big hug. Fantasy made a gagging noise and tried to push him agway. "Ew! Get off!"

Train could hear her laughing a little, so he knew she wasn't actually upset at him. To make matters worse, he gave her a big kiss on the top of her head, making her yelp loudly as she broke her hands free to wipe his sweat out of her silver hair.

She looked at her sweaty hands and shirt, then scowled at Train. "Great… Now I have to shower **before** school. And I have track after school today! I was going to shower then!"

Since she had gotten older, she started to take an interest in running. Ever since she was little, she did whatever Train did, and since he liked to run, she tried to join him as often as she could. She couldn't keep up with him, but she appreciated the golden man slowing down so she could keep up.

They even convinced Creed to go with them a few times. Her brother really didn't get why she and Train enjoyed it so much. He described running as an evil exercise created by demons. Creed couldn't keep up with either of them, but Fantasy loved seeing Train run back to carry him to the finish. However, sometimes she thought her brother did it on purpose just so Train would carry him. Creed was in good shape as well, so she had a feeling he could keep up if he wanted.

Recently, her golden hero had taken to parkour. When Train saw clips of it on the internet he completely lost his mind and decided he was going to learn how to do it. That was about five years ago, and he had gotten really good at it which also helped a lot in his job. He often had to chase people down and when they found out how skillfully he could move, they didn't stand a chance.

Train wiped his sweaty face on his arms, which did nothing since his arms were just as sweaty. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. I'll be picking you up from track practice today."

She sighed. "Really? Why? I thought Creed was gonna get me…" She sat in an armchair and began to read her book again, seeming to not care if she made her brother wait longer.

Train made an offended noise and clutched his chest again. "You wound me, my Queen! Why don't you want me to pick you up?"

Fantasy frowned and turned a page in her book. "It's not that I don't want you to, it's just…"

_All my classmates are_ _**obsessed** _ _with you…_

She was aware of how attractive both Train and Creed were and her classmates enjoyed seeing both of them pick her up. However, whenever it was her brother, their reactions were much more tame. Creed was very handsome and regal looking with a calm sort of beauty so the girls he attracted were much more in control of their feelings. The worst that ever happened when he went to her school were a few giggles and blushes.

However, Train was more fit and muscular than her brother. This attracted the more hormonal teens and earned many more inappropriate remarks she didn't like to hear. Some of her more eager classmates would outright flirt with him and even get handsy which made the pre-teen very uncomfortable. Whenever he picked her up, it seemed like the whole school was informed of his presence and came out of the woodworks.

Fantasy always tried to leave as fast as possible, but Train had become friendly with her coach and would stay far longer than she wished to talk about running and parkour. It was awkward for her to have to wait and listen to gross comments made about the man who was essentially her father. She hated seeing all those students drooling over him.

_On top of that, they ask me a bunch of weird questions. Questions I_ _ **know**_ _they wouldn't ask me if he was my biological father._

Train was eyeing her strangely as she read her book and got lost in her thoughts. He poked her forehead to get her attention and she narrowed her eyes at him. "It's just what?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what!"

Train shook his head. "No. Explain."

She sighed and set her book down. "It's because everyone on the team thinks you're a DILF."

Train cocked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Fantasy growled. Train should know what she meant. Last time he was there, one of her classmates asked him what his favorite dessert was, then brought it next week to give it to him. Another time, one of the girls was following him the entire time and a different time a gaggle of girls made their parents wait while they claimed to be getting their stuff when in reality, they were gathered around Train as he spoke to her coach, whispering inappropriate things to each other.

_And it gets worse with the older girls! Our team goes all the way up to seniors so comments from seventeen and eighteen year olders are the most…. Disgusting._

They're the ones who had taken to calling Train a DILF. And since Train was still pretty young, those were the girls that felt they had a shot with him. He was in his early thirties, but looked like he was in his mid twenties because of how well he took care of himself. The fact that he was married to a man didn't deter them either.

She felt Train poke her again since she decided to ignore his question in favor of her book. The teen sighed and rolled her eyes. "Look it up. It's gross. I'm not explaining that to you."

Fantasy watched out of the corner of her eye as Train took out his phone, obviously taking her advice and looking it up. He blushed and made a distressed face then turned back to her.

She glanced at him quickly when she spoke, then looked back at her book. "Does that explain the parade of school girls you're always welcomed with when you're there?"

Train made another strange look and shook his head. "It's not a **parade** … I'm just usually the first to arrive and they're waiting for their rides."

Fantasy rolled her eyes again. "On what planet are **you** on time?" When Train pouted, she rolled her eyes. "They make their parents wait or tell them to come later because they're waiting for **you**. It makes me super uncomfortable…"

Train frowned and put his phone away. "I'm sorry, Fantasy…"

She brushed his words away, but didn't take her eyes away from her book. "It's not your fault. I'm not mad at you."

He gave her a cheeky smile. "Really?!"

Despite herself, she laughed at how childish the thirty-three year old man could be. "No, I'm not."

Train scooped her off the chair in one swift motion, then spun her around to show his joy. Fantasy grabbed his neck with one arm so she wouldn't fall, the other still holding her book.

"Stop it! You're gonna make me sick!" When Train stopped he pouted at her again. She couldn't stop the giggle he made her make. "Also, you're still sweaty."

The golden man rubbed his face on her hair again, causing her to sputter and push out of his arms. "Why are you so weird?!"

Train shrugged his shoulders. "Because being normal is boring."

Fantasy rolled her eyes, but knew she was smirking. When she sat back down, Train frowned and crossed his arms.

"Hey, I came in here to get you on Creed's orders. Why is this taking so long?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "Because it's so easy to distract you and I really want to finish this chapter."

Train gasped. "Are you manipulating me?!"

She gave him the cheeky smile he gave Creed to get him out of trouble. "Maybe…"

He narrowed his eyes, but did not make a move to carry her out. Instead, he climbed on the back of her chair and perched behind her, trying to read over her shoulder.

"What's that word?" Train pointed to a word in the book.

"Rococo? It means flamboyant…" She could tell what he was trying to make her laugh.

He frowned. "Why not just say flamboyant then?"

Fantasy rubbed her temple. "Because the author didn't want to."

"That seems like they're just making more work for themselves." He pointed to another one. "And that one?"

She sighed. "That's the name of one of the characters…"

Train nodded. "Weird name, but I guess no one in this house can judge." He pointed to another one. "And that one?"

"I **know** you know what elaborate means!" Fantasy chuckled a little as she looked up at her hero.

He gave her a cheeky smile, then frowned. "How many more pages do you have? Creed's gonna get mad…"

"It's just three more paragraphs."

Train nodded, then sat crossed legged on the floor in front of her, watching her as she read. After a few seconds, he began to sway back and forth and look around the room. A few more, and he fell on the ground and fingered the carpet. Then, he groaned loudly and pulled his hair.

"Ugh, so **boring**! You were more fun as a kid!"

Fantasy giggled. "I'm still a kid. And it's been like twenty seconds."

"No, you act too grown up to be a kid and it's been twenty seconds of boredom!" He made a motion with his hand for her to speed up. "Come on! Food will get cold!"

She rolled her eyes and shut her book. "There, I'm done."

Train nodded and took the book from her, tossing it on the bed, ignoring her protests as he did so. He scooped her up again and carried her out of the room, kicking the door open loudly. They heard Creed let out a small yelp, signalling he was not ready for such a loud sound to interrupt the quietness of the apartment.

The cat smirked and walked down the hallway until he made his way to the kitchen. He gave his husband a wide smile, kneeling on one knee as he offered the pre-teen to him.

"The Queen, my Lord."

Both Diskences rolled their eyes, but couldn't stop themselves from laughing at his antics. Creed pointed a spatula at his partner and smirked.

"You are late, Sir Cat. And for that you shall pay."

Fantasy snuck away to sit at the table, knowing what they were about to do. Train had become fascinated with guns and Creed had started a sword collection in their guest room, which also worked as Train's office. While Creed had always enjoyed swords, it took Train some time to develop an interest in guns after everything he had been through during his time on the force. Both their obsessions led to her brother's sword training and her hero's gun training. They would practice their styles against each other, but they also liked to mess around in the house.

Train frowned, remaining in his bowed position. "But, my Lord, I have done as you requested!"

Creed slapped the counter with his spatula that he was now pretending was a sword. "The food has gone cold with your tardiness!"

Train stood slowly pretending to pull out a gun. "I apologize, my Lord…"

Creed took a step forward. "It's too late for apologies…"

Train leapt back as Creed stabbed forward. The silver man twirled quickly so he ended up behind the cat, but Train was faster as he flipped in the opposite direction, blocking a blow from Creed's fake sword with his finger gun. Train then grabbed Creed's wrist, pulling him forcefully towards him and knocking the spatula out of his hand as he spun him around in his arms. Creed ended up with his back pinned against his beloved's chest, the golden man holding him still with one arm around his waist, the other pointing his fake gun against his head.

Train smiled proudly and pulled his fake trigger. "Bang." He leaned his head forward so his lips were next to Creed's ear. "You need to train more."

The silver man shivered at the feel of his cat's breath against his ear, then leaned his head against Train's shoulder. "Or maybe I just wanted you to hold me."

Creed turned around in his husband's arms and kissed him merrily. Train returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around his partner's back until they heard Fantasy make a grossed out sound. They kissed once more before they separated, Train leaping over the divider from the dining area and the kitchen while Creed finished putting their breakfast together.

Creed put a plate of food in front of her, then another for himself and Train. "Next time I'm gonna go get you myself. You guys fool around too much."

"You're one to talk…" Fantasy rolled her eyes as she scooped some eggs in her mouth.

Train grinned and kissed Creed on the cheek as he sat down next to him. "You wake us up so early I don't know why you're always rushing. Fantasy still has an hour until school starts."

"Yes, but I need to leave in twenty minutes." Creed looked at his beloved tiredly, knowing he told Train this already, but his cat most likely forgot.

Train looked embarrassed. "Oh… Right…" He gave Creed a sad look. "Sorry…"

Creed sighed, unable to be mad at that face and instead leaned over to give him a kiss. "It's okay, you know I could never stay mad at you."

Train smiled back and kissed him in return. After a few minutes of their second display of affection, Fantasy sighed loudly and cleared her throat to get their attention.

"I'm still here you know…"

Train grinned at her teasingly, then fed a bite of his food to his partner. Creed, unable to ever turn down anything his love ever offered him, took it immediately and smiled lovingly at his husband. Creed tried to make his blissful sigh quiet, but Fantasy was still able to hear it.

"Okay, I'm eating this in the other room."

As she stood with her plate, Creed turned back to her and scolded her. "No! That's how you get ants! Do you want ants, Fantasy?"

The teen sighed. "No… No, I don't want ants, Brother."

She sat back down, but smirked subtly. This had been her tactic since she was a kid to get them to stop being so affectionate in front of her. While she was happy knowing they loved each other so much, she didn't want to see it every single day while she ate.

A knock at the door perked both their ears and Creed made a strained look.

"I forgot to mention Tak was going to school with you this morning." Creed looked at Train who sighed and rubbed his face in frustration. "I'm sorry, Love. I should have given you more time to prepare."

Train gave him a small glare, knowing the tone of his voice did not sound like he was truly sorry. "It's fine. He won't kill me and despite his attachment, I do enjoy seeing my little buddy."

Fantasy didn't need to question what they were talking about. Tak, her best friend since she was five, had a **huge** crush on Train. Ever since they were little, he was always clinging to Train and following him around. When they were kids, it was cute, but now that he was a teenager, it made her king uncomfortable because the way he showed his affection to Train had not changed. Instead of a cute little kid holding your arm and trying to sit on your lap, it was a fifteen-year-old boy. The worst part was that Train really cared about him, but Tak didn't help because anytime the cat paid attention to him, he acted like it was the greatest thing in the world.

Creed smiled and kissed his beloved, walking to the door to answer it for the boy. The silver man greeted him warmly which Tak returned, but was instantly walking into the apartment to find Train. He glanced at Fantasy quickly, giving her a polite wave and smile before his eyes finally landed on his hero. His whole face brightened immediately and he clutched his books happily to his chest.

"Good morning, Train!"

Train smiled as best he could behind the knowledge of knowing he was going to be tackled. He waved in the air with his fork and greeted the boy cordially, but then sighed because he could already tell Tak was far too excited to see him.

When Tak approached, Train stood quickly and grabbed his empty plate and glass. "Sorry, Tak, I'd love to talk, but I need to get going." He didn't really, it was just an excuse to leave before the teen could latch onto him.

Fantasy smirked. While it bothered her when her classmates made comments about Train, Tak's crush was innocent and she liked to use it to mess with her hero.

"You do? I thought you didn't have any cases today."

Train narrowed his eyes at the girl, knowing exactly what she was doing. "I have errands…"

Fantasy locked eyes with him. "I remember you saying last night you were looking forward of a day with nothing to do but relax."

Tak smiled brightly at his friend's statement. "Does that mean you can drive us to school?!"

"No." Train and Fantasy both answered that question. While she liked teasing Train about her best friend's crush on him, she didn't like the idea of him dropping her off **and** picking her up. That meant twice the trouble with her classmates.

Tak frowned then noticed how sweaty Train was and how his shirt was clinging to his body. He blushed wildly and covered his face with his books. Train noticed where his eyes went and sighed when he remembered his current state and tried to hurry to the shower before the boy could get too excited. Before he left, Tak latched himself onto Train's waist and squeezed him tightly.

"I just want a quick morning hug." Tak tightened his arms even more, which made Train gasp a little from the air the teen's embrace forced him to release. He pressed his face into Train's chest and sighed happily.

Train's hands were currently full with his plate and glass so he couldn't stop the boy, nor could he remove him. The golden man looked at his husband desperately who smiled and blew him a kiss, putting on his shoes. He then glanced at Fantasy and frowned as she smirked playfully at him. Both Creed and Fantasy always found the encounters with Train and Tak hilarious, so neither of them ever helped the cat.

Train sighed again and tried talking the teen out of the hug. "Alright, buddy, good morning, but I need to clean up my dishes now."

"Oh, I'll get it!" Fantasy said as she took his dirty dishes, the same smirk on her face.

The cat gave her a mocking smirk in return then looked back at his husband. "Okay, well, I need to say bye to Creed."

"It's okay, Love. I'll come to you." Creed walked over and gave Train a big kiss on the lips then caressed his cheek teasingly.

The golden man scowled at his husband who winked as he walked towards the door, grabbing his bad before he left. "I'll see you at lunch, Train."

He blew his cat a kiss, then left quickly. Train watched as Fantasy cleaned up the rest of the table and sighed again. Seeing his hands were now free, he pushed the enthusiastic boy off, only to have him latch back on. Train growled quietly and rubbed his face.

"I miss when you were five…" He pushed the boy again, making sure to hold him in place so he wouldn't latch on. "Tak, I need to go shower. I'll make sure to say goodbye to you both before you leave."

Train smiled, still wanting Tak to know he cared about him, but he couldn't stay attached to him forever. However, when Tak blushed brightly at the mention of him showering, Train growled quietly again, then walked away as he mumbled under his breath. Fantasy couldn't make out everything he was saying, but she heard the words 'teenage' and 'hormones' coming out of his mouth in an angry tone, so she could guess what he was griping about.

Fantasy turned to her friend, rolling her eyes as Tak watched Train walk down the hallway while still blushing wildly.

"I swear, sometimes I think you only come over because of Train."

Tak kept looking down the hallway, hoping he would maybe get another glimpse of Train then frowned when he heard his crush's bedroom door lock. He looked back at his best friend and eyed her curiously.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The girl laughed and threw some left over bacon at him. "I think you just answered my question. Why aren't your parents driving you today?"

Tak shrugged his shoulders and sat on their couch, pulling out his phone as he crossed his legs. "No real reason. I just convinced them I wanted to go with you."

Fantasy shook her head. "That's a lie. You just wanted to see Train."

He blushed and smiled a little. "That's… definitely a **perk**. But I really did want to go with you today. I feel like we haven't been hanging out as much lately."

The girl frowned. "I'm sorry, Tak. I've just been so busy…"

It was true. Fantasy had been busy studying with her brother, running with her track team, and taking college credits she didn't really have the time to just sit and hang out with her friend.

Tak sighed and looked at her as she sat next to him. "I waited two years for you to join me in this stupid school. Now that you're here, I thought we'd get to see each other more."

Neither of them had a lot of friends, so she could imagine how lonely he had been. They weren't unpopular, they just never felt the need to have a large group of friends. The handful they had were great and enough for them, but they both knew they preferred each other's company to anyone else's.

_I've got a lot of things to keep me busy. He's probably just sitting at home with his parents, bored out of his mind._

She smiled and elbowed him playfully. "You could always join track with me…"

Tak made a disgusted look. "Ew, no, gross. What's the point of running? You should just join the band or choir with me."

Fantasy shook her head. "I can't sing and I have no time to learn an instrument. That's just not my thing." She tried a different tactic. "Train picks me up from track a lot… We also run together sometimes. If you joined track, you could see him more and maybe even run with him…"

Tak gave her an evil look. "You're literally the worst. You know band rehearsals happen at the same time as track." He gestured to his flute case he put next to him on the couch.

She giggled as she shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, I tried." Fantasy turned to him and gave him a serious look. "I promise we'll hang out more. I'll guilt trip my brother and Train into letting you come over more. That way you can see Train too."

Tak blushed a little, but smiled at her promise. "Thank you." A thought suddenly occurred to him and he pulled out his math book from his backpack. "Oh, I forgot. I also made sure to come over before school because I **really** need your help with my homework."

Fantasy blinked as he set his book on top of their coffee table, then laughed at the embarrassed look he gave her. "Oh, so **that's** the real reason, is it? Not me or Train you're after, it's my brain!"

Tak scowled at her a little. "Shut up and help me."

They still had another thirty minutes until they needed to catch the bus, so Fantasy helped her friend out. This was simple algebra, so she had absolutely no problem with it. Train walked back into the room at some point, stopping in the kitchen again to eat the last of the bacon and going to see what the kids were doing.

Tak and Fantasy were sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, neither of them seeming to notice he had returned. Train quietly leapt over the back of the couch and sat crossed legged on it. He put both his hands on either side of the couch, taking up as much room as possible, seeing as he was the only one sitting there.

Noticing they still hadn't heard him, he frowned while holding a piece of bacon between his teeth. "Whatcha doing?"

Both high schoolers jumped at the sound of his voice, not ready for him to be suddenly behind them. Fantasy scowled and Tak blushed while he covered his face with his hands, not wanting his hero to see him get scared.

Fantasy stuck her tongue out at Train's smirk, then answered his question. "I'm helping Tak with his algebra homework."

Tran raised an eyebrow as he addressed the boy. "Tak, do you struggle with math?"

Tak nodded his head rapidly and smiled at his crush. "Yes, math is hard."

Train laughed. "I heard that!" He thumbed at Fantasy. "This one and Creed are always doing physics. Everyday, actually. It's getting a bit out of hand. I'm starting to think they have a problem."

Fantasy rolled her eyes. "You only think that because you can't keep up with us."

Train nodded. "Yes, that's true. But I think we're even because neither of you can keep up with me on runs."

The girl threw a pencil at him which Train dodged skillfully. He smirked wildly at her and finished the bacon in his mouth. "No need to be mean, Lil' Queen. You're gonna be a famous astronaut one day!"

"Astrophysicist…" Fantasy corrected him as she turned back to help Tak who was too busy being distracted by Train's presence.

Train waved his hand. "Close enough."

The girl chose to not explain to him why he was wrong and snapped her fingers in Tak's face to get his attention again. The boy blinked and blushed apologetically, looking back to his book with her. However, Fantasy found his attention was brought back to Train as the golden man crawled up next to them so he could see the book, even going so far as a grab a pencil and paper.

Fantasy sighed. "Train… What are you doing?"

He smirked at her and Fantasy was able to see Tak blushing brightly on the other side of Train. "I need help in algebra too, Lil' Queen! Can't you help an old man out?"

She face palmed as Tak giggled next to him. Out of frustration, she pushed Train's face away from hers. "No. You're a hopeless cause."

Train allowed himself to be pushed away and fell to the ground for the second time that morning. "You are so mean this morning! Your brother helped me in high school!"

"Yeah, well, he had ulterior motives." She looked at Tak and shook her head, knowing he was about to ask her to let him stay. "Go do the dishes. Creed will be mad if he comes home to a dirty kitchen."

Train moaned loudly then crawled his way into the kitchen, knowing she was right. Fantasy clapped her hands in her best friend's face to get his attention back on her and his homework. They needed to leave soon, so she wanted to make sure Tak finished at least most of his homework.

After another ten minutes, Fantasy closed his book and handed it back to him. "That's all we have time for. We need to get leave before we miss the bus."

Train heard them gathering their things from and jumped back into the common room. He picked Fantasy up from behind, spinning her around in the air as he squeezed her tightly.

"I'll miss you, Lil' Queen!" He said loudly as he continued twirling her in the air.

The girl screamed happily. She loved how Train always made it a big deal when she left for school. "You say that every day!"

"Because it's true!" He finally put her down then messed with her hair playfully.

Fantasy smiled at him as she fixed her hair, feeling it was still sweaty from Train's earlier attack

and frowned.

_Great, I forgot to wash off his stink!_

She sighed and giggled at the hopeful face Train made while he waited for her response. "I'll miss you too."

Tak made a noise to catch Train's attention and the cat ran his fingers through his hair at the eager look on his face. Not knowing what else to do, he ruffled the boy's hair as well, hoping that would be enough to satisfy him. It wasn't so Tak wrapped his arms back around Train's waist and pressed his face back against his crush's chest again.

Train groaned miserably when he heard the boy make a happy noise. "Okay, Buddy. It's time to go."

He pushed the boy away, but Tak gave him another tight hug and told him goodbye one more time. Train laughed awkwardly and patted his head, saying goodbye in a strained voice. The cat was finally saved by Fantasy who grabbed her friend's arm and ran out the door. Tak shouted goodbye to Train a few more times as he was dragged by his friend.

The bus stop was only a block away, but she, like her brother, hated being late. They were both annoyed by how late Train always was, but Creed was incapable of being angry at him. She commented to Creed all the time how he needed to learn how to stay mad at Train if he was ever going to change. Her brother didn't care and insisted Train was perfect every time this topic came up. Sometimes his love for Train was frustrating.

As they approached the bus, Fantasy felt the familiar anxiety beginning to rise in her stomach. She went through this every day she went on the bus, but she always insisted on taking it despite Creed and Train's offers to drive her.

_You can do this. You've got all the tools you need from therapy to get through this. And you've done it every day since school started._

It was still early in the year so she hadn't been on the bus much, but she was proud of herself for being able to do it every morning.

She took a deep breath and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the bad thoughts and replace them with the good ones. Fantasy occupied her mind with Train's morning tickling ritual or his nightly karate fight he asserted needed to happen before bed. She thought about cuddling against her brother as they read quietly on the couch and sipped tea together.

Feeling herself calm down, she was able to pick up the pace again with Tak, who was walking next to her. He, however, could still feel how anxious she was and decided to question her. The boy knew about her phobia and Creed and Train made sure he knew to tell them whenever she was having a panic attack. So far, she'd been fine, but it seemed like she was having a hard time today.

"Fantasy, are you okay? Do I need to call Train to pick us up?"

She eyed him wearily. "You just want an excuse to say bye to him again."

Tak shook his head. "No, I'm serious. You seem stressed. Are you okay?"

Fantasy tried to smile as best she could as they stood at the bus doors. "I'm fine, Tak. I swear."

He nodded, but she could tell he still wasn't convinced. As Tak stepped onto the bus before her, Fantasy felt herself get a little bit light headed. Her breathing started to become more rapid and she clutched her chest as if she was about to have a heart attack. The girl gasped for breath as she felt like her throat was closing and the world was caving in around her.

The driver seemed to notice her distress and tried to help. "Are you okay, Sweetie?"

The silver girl didn't register the woman at all. Instead, when the driver offered Fantasy her hand, she saw her mother's hand falling fast to smack her in the face. The girl yelled and smacked it aside, earning a painful scream from the woman.

Tak was back in an instant to try and help. He grabbed her shoulders and tried to shake her out of it, but it wasn't working. Instead of Tak, Fantasy saw the men her mother had disappeared with for days on end. When the bus driver stood to try and help again, Fantasy screamed and clutched her head, yelling at the woman to get away from her.

Next thing she knew, she was running down the street with Tak following quickly after her as the boy pulled out his phone to make a call. Fantasy didn't know what he was doing and didn't care. Her body was moving on its own at this point, desperately trying to get away from something she knew she didn't want any part of.

Faintly, she could hear someone calling her name, but she didn't register who the voice belonged to. All her body knew was she needed to get out of there before whoever they were could catch her. As the voice got closer, she ran faster, but she wasn't fast enough. Before she knew it, she was being grabbed by two strong hands and lifted into the air.

"GET OFF!" She yelled as she kicked her feet wildly.

"Fantasy, snap out of it!"

Again, she didn't care who the owner of the voice was and refused to look at them. She shook her head and shut her eyes, desperately trying to get out of their hold. She even tried to bite the hands that held her, but her mouth was too far away.

"Little Queen! It's me!"

Finally, she opened her eyes and turned to the person holding her. The girl's heart was still beating fast and she was still breathing rapidly, but when she saw her King's golden eyes looking at her frighteningly, she began to calm down.

Seeing she was starting to relax, Train put her down and held up his five fingers. "Blow out the candles, Fantasy."

The girl nodded and blew at Train's thumb until it went down. Then she concentrated on his index finger, working her way around his hand until all his fingers were down. Train sighed and smiled warmly at her.

"You feel better now?"

She saw Tak catching up to them from behind Train, huffing and puffing heavily as he stopped to lean his hands on his knees. The girl narrowed her eyes at him for calling Train, but seeing he returned her angry look, she knew she was wrong to be mad at him. Turning back to Train's relieved look that she was okay, she smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, Big King…"

Train hugged her tightly and chuckled happily in her ear. "You have nothing to apologize for… I'm just glad you're okay now."

She hesitated a second, then hugged him back. The teen watched as the bus passed them by and frowned. "We missed the bus…"

Train rolled his eyes as he pulled away. "Is that really what you're worried about right now?"

Fantasy looked away ashamed, then rested her head on his shoulder. "Can I take the morning off?"

The cat smiled and pet her hair lovingly. "Of course you can, Lil' Queen. You can even read me some of that book you've been enjoying."

She smiled and hugged her hero, happy she had the support she needed to get her through her lower moments.

* * *

"I called earlier and to explain she was going to be late. And I know I'm an approved drop off **and** pick up for Tak Goto. Why am I still here?"

Train was leaning languidly on the barrier that separated him and one of the school's secretaries. He dropped Fantasy and Tak off not long ago and while the students were permitted to head to class, he was being kept behind for whatever reason. He knew it wasn't because of Tak. He and Creed were written down as adults who could drop off and pick him up, which they did often, so this whole process should have taken five minutes.

_And according to that clock, it's been almost twenty..._

Originally, he was going to bring Tak to school by himself, but after talking to his parents they said it was okay for him to spend the morning with him and Fantasy. He was grateful for this because the boy was great in helping the girl calm down until she felt well enough to go to school.

The woman smiled brightly at him, a small blush present on her face as she watched his exhausted face. "We just need to verify your identity, that's all."

He dropped his face into his hands. "I've literally been here hundreds of times, you know who I am. You had my information right there!" Train leaned over and pointed to the clipboard she was holding.

The woman shrugged her shoulders and set it down. "Yes, but I want to make sure it's all up to date. Is this still your current phone number?"

Seeing the brightness of her cheeks and knowing that tone of voice all too well, Train sighed as he realized what was happening. Far too many women spoke to him this way, and he had learned over time what it really meant.

"Are you new?" He asked her between his fingers, noticing he did not recognize her face.

She nodded rapidly and giggled needlessly. "Yes! Just started yesterday, so I'm still learning how things work around here." She leaned forward and beamed cheerfully up at him from her seated position. "I'm new to town as well. Do you know any good places to get lunch?"

Train dropped his head and gripped his hair tightly. Sometimes he wanted to walk around with a mask on. Fantasy also pointed out that it didn't help that almost all of his shirts had a plunging neckline which she made him promise not to wear when he picked her up today.

_That shouldn't matter! I should be able to drop off my kid at school without being harassed!_

The cat lifted his head to speak to the woman again. "Yes, that contact information is correct. As if this-" He pointed at the chart again, the part where it listed his marital status. "My **husband** is currently waiting to get lunch with me. **He's** really busy and I'd hate to keep **him** waiting."

Train made sure to make it clear what the gender of his partner was to get the point across her advances were completely useless. He also made sure she had a great view of the ring on his finger, that way she knew how dedicated he was to Creed.

The woman blushed in embarrassment this time and put his paperwork away. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Heartnet! I had no idea you were-"

Train put a hand up to stop her before she could use a term he didn't identify fully with. "It's fine. Can I go now?"

He wasn't offended by being called gay. In his current relationship, it was true, but he knew it wasn't the entire truth and was tired of correcting people. The explanation only led to more problems with women and more questions and he didn't want to get into that conversation right now. Train knew he wasn't only attracted to men, but she didn't need to know any of his past romantic interests. The cat had learned over the years that once his fluidity came into the conversation, there was no getting out of it.

She nodded and walked away from her desk, wanting to get as far from her embarrassment as she could. Train sighed and left the room.

_My sexuality shouldn't matter when I'm turning a woman down, but my relationship with a man seems to be the best way to explain to them why I'm not interested. I just don't understand why the gender of my partner matters to them when it really doesn't matter to me._

This was something he realized long ago. If Creed had been a woman, his feelings wouldn't have changed and in high school he knew he was attracted to Saya as well. He didn't have a perfence in the sex of his partner, as long as he loved them it didn't matter what was between their legs.

_Although, I do_ _ **really**_ _enjoy what Creed's body has to offer…_

Train shook his head free of the dirty thoughts, realizing how long it had been since they were able to be intimate. Adulthood had made them quite busy, but they still snuck time in their schedule as often as they could. It just wasn't as much as either of them wanted.

As he walked down the hallway, he couldn't help but notice a few older high school girls were giggling as he passed by. Train sighed again and tried to use his jacket to cover his chest more.

_Maybe Fantasy is right. I should buy some new shirts. Although I feel like I shouldn't have to wear something different to get hormonal eyes off me._

Train had a feeling Creed wouldn't like a change in his attire either since he knew his partner loved seeing more of him. However, when the cat heard another young girl walking by and whispering something inappropriate about him, he felt himself grow even more uncomfortable and decided to make a mental note to go shopping soon.

"Excuse me?"

Train was about to reach the door when a voice from behind made him turn around to see three very tall girls standing in front of him. They seemed older than Fantasy and Tak, so Train assumed they must have been seniors. He also couldn't help but feel like he knew them from somewhere.

The golden man eyed them curiously. "Yes?"

The girl in the middle spoke for the group. She had dark red hair, green eyes that looked like Fantasy's, and she looked older than eighteen. Her height alone made her look like she was in her twenties, but Train could tell this girl had put a lot of effort into making herself look older. The amount of make up alone added on at least three years and she dressed like an adult. It was clear to the cat she desperately wanted to grow up.

The redhead smiled at Train, but there was something about the smile that made Train step closer to the door. "You're Fantasy's dad, right?"

Train gave a small nod. "Uhh… Yes? She doesn't call me that, but yeah, that's pretty much what I am."

The girls next to her giggled which confused Train since he didn't say anything funny. The clear leader shushed them both then addressed Train again.

"If you don't mind my asking… How old are you?" She took a step forward which made Train and take another step back.

"Old enough to know that's close enough. Shouldn't you be in class?" He made sure there was about ten feet between them, which wasn't easy since she was subtly moving forward.

She smiled and flipped her hair which made Train roll his eyes. "This is a free period for seniors. We usually leave to get smoothies. Do you-"

"No." His voice was firm as he answered her question before she could even ask it.

The teen frowned. "I'm of legal age you know…"

Train noticed her eyes had slipped down to his slightly exposed chest and he crossed his arms immediately. However, now that his hands were pushing his biceps up, he noticed her looking at that and just decided to turn and leave.

_Damn teenage hormones! Were we this bad at that age?_

He rubbed his face as he thought, then remembered all the times Creed, Saya, and Kyoko had openly flirted with him in high school and decided it was definitely a teen problem.

"I'm meeting my **husband** for lunch. Go to class or don't, I really don't care." Again, he emphasized his relationship with Creed, hoping she'd get the point.

He heard quick footsteps approaching him and the girl's voice again. "Wait!"

She grabbed his arm before he left and Train ripped it away quickly. Train stepped towards the door again, but was stopped when she and the other girls, who had also apparently run up to help their friend stop him, stood in front of him.

"Are you picking Fantasy up from track today?"

Train blinked at her. "Are you on the team?" She nodded happily and Train made an understanding sound. "Oh, **that's** where I know you from..."

He didn't mean to say those last words out loud because he knew the reaction he was going to get from the girl. She smiled brilliantly and even made an annoying squee sound.

"You know me?!"

Train growled and moved around her and the three girls, being sure to leave plenty of space between them as he reached for the door again. "No. I don't."

He decided not to answer her earlier question. This conversation had gone on long enough.

"You didn't answer my question! Are you picking up Fantasy from practice today?" She called from down the hall as she tried to catch up to Train.

_She is seriously chasing me?!_

Again, he didn't answer the question as he finally reached the door and stepped out of the building. He forgot she said they were leaving campus for their free period and cursed under his breath as she followed him into the parking lot.

She caught up again and Train was preparing himself to be arrested for hitting a child. "How old do I look?"

_Back on the age thing?_

"Old enough to be a child." Train didn't stop his quick pace, knowing he could out run her if necessary.

She giggled and Train noticed her other friends weren't as fast. They were falling behind their leader, then seemed to decide to stay at the front doors of their school.

"I really don't think you're that much older than me."

Train thought the less he talked, the better off he was. It didn't help that he couldn't remember where he parked now. He wanted to just drop Fantasy off and leave, but he had to enter the building to sign her in. Remembering where his car was, he walked faster, groaning inwardly as he noticed she was still pretty close behind him.

"I've seen you on your runs before! You're pretty fast. But, I'm the top runner on our team. My name's Jessica. Can I call you Train?"

"No." Train spoke the word sternly so she would understand how serious he was being.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he saw the girl in a slightly different light. He frowned as he looked at her from the corner of his eye as he approached his car.

_She's like me at that age… Growing up too fast, probably missing the amazing opportunities that are right in front of her face because she won't allow herself to be a kid._

An image of a high school Creed confessing his love for him and the image of his own eighteen year old self running away popped into his head at that thought. He saw an image of Saya and his other friends asking to see a movie over the weekend and him declining, then regretting it later. Train remembered all the festivals and movie nights he missed with the people he cared about most in the world and sighed sadly.

_Not that I really had a choice… But it's still a regret I hold tight to. I should have let myself be a kid back then instead of worrying where the next paycheck could come from and rushing through my childhood._

Train knew this was why he acted a bit childish at times. He was trying to get his childhood back, since he didn't get to have one. It's one of the reasons he was so upset Fantasy was growing up so fast. Creed knew this feeling as well which is why they were insistent Fantasy have a normal school experience while taking college courses on the side. They didn't want her to miss out on how awesome being a kid could be.

_And I think this girl is trying to rush by it as well..._

Now pitying the teen, he decided to try a different tactic to get her to leave him alone.

"Listen, Jessica, you said? You need to stop. This isn't appropriate. You're a child. I don't care if you're of, 'legal age', as you put it. **You. Are. A. Child.** Got that?"

She frowned and Train sighed and pulled out his keys as he gestured to her friends. "Go back to your friends and start acting your age instead of worrying about growing up so fast. I'm sure there's plenty of boys in this school who are dying to date you."

She sighed in frustration. "They're all so **boring**!"

He turned his back to her as he unlocked his car. "Then don't date. I don't care. But stop trying to force yourself to grow up. Cherish this time you have as a kid, because it's all going to go away real fast."

Seeing she was still being stubborn, Train gave himself more inspiration with the memory of how he pushed his friends away. He reminded himself of how ignorant he was to the world around him that he almost missed out on Creed. If it wasn't for his partner's insistence to have him, he may have never been as happy as he was now. Train smiled wistfully at the thought, grateful his husband fought so hard and for so long to get him.

He nodded, knowing that extra reminder is what he needed to drive his point home. "But, you might want to give one of those boring boys a chance. You'll never know what you're missing out on if you don't try it."

He opened the door to his car and got in quickly. Since she was still there, he decided to give her some last bit of advice.

"Take it from someone who didn't really get to be a kid. Enjoy it while it lasts." He gave her a friendly smile. "I need to go meet my husband. I've kept him waiting long enough."

Then, he drove away, not bothering to stay and see if the girl had listened to his advice. He said what he needed to try and help her from making a terrible mistake. If she was as obsessed with being an adult as she appeared to be, another man might have been sick enough to take her up on her offer. That thought terrified him, so Train hoped she would listen. He wasn't a total monster, he wanted her to be safe and have a good life, but it was up to her.

However, remembering the looks he got walking down the hormonal hallway the cat decided to make one more stop before seeing Creed. After all, he did promise Fantasy he would wear something different when he picked her up.

* * *

"No, I told you yesterday the Jonas file goes with the Anderson file and both those go **after** the Ingram file. Got it?"

Creed was kneeling on the floor next to the bottom drawer of one of his filing cabinets. He pulled the correct form out and looked up angrily at one of the useless interns Sephiria had hired to, as she put it, 'help out'. The young man couldn't seem to get the filing system right and Creed didn't understand why. The silver man had been looking for a file one of his lawyers needed for an upcoming case, but couldn't find it because this boy had put it in the wrong spot.

_...Again._

He watched as the boy blushed and looked away in shame. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Diskence… B-but could you e-explain it again?"

Creed sighed deeply and in annoyance. Seeing the intern continuing to glance at him when he didn't think Creed was looking, he rolled his eyes

_Scratch that, I know exactly what this is about._

He had been following Creed around nonstop since he got here about three weeks ago and the silver man wasn't stupid. The look he was getting from the college student was the same one he had given his beloved for so many years of his life. However, Creed was used to it at this point. This happened with several young male interns Sephiria hired.

The silver man stood as she closed the drawer and walked past the still blushing intern, doing his best to ignore how close he was following him.

"I've told you the system at least a thousand times. I'm starting to think you're just pretending to be stupid to get more time with me."

He gasped quietly at being called out and denied it profusely. "N-no! Not at all! I-I just have a t-terrible memory is all…"

Creed scowled at him from the corner of his eye. "Then maybe I should let Ms. Arks know so we can hire someone else."

Creed enjoyed watching his face whiten. "No! I-I'll do better, I promise!"

The silver man rolled his eyes at his eager look, not lessening his pace as they walked down the hall. He was late enough for his next appointment as it was, and Train would be there any minute to meet him for lunch.

_This is why I told Sephiria to let me hire the interns. She keeps hiring the same… type, shall I say, and it's starting to get on my nerves._

He knew she was doing it on purpose to mess with him. She knew how much it annoyed him to have a recent graduate or still college student follow him around like a lost puppy all day. Sephiria saw it happen once, and Creed couldn't help but notice the pattern continued since then. He had gotten a bit more fit over the years and his natural good looks hadn't faded at all. While he still wasn't nearly as strong or muscular as his beloved, he wasn't as slim anymore.

"This is the last time I'm telling you this, so if you waste my time with something as simple as finding a file again, you're gone. Got that?"

The intern nodded fearfully. Despite whatever he may have felt for Creed, the silver lawyer had learned how to keep the people who worked beneath him in line. They all knew him to be strict and had learned early on not to cross him. His ability to lay down the law when necessary made them respect him all the more.

A lot of people were skeptical when he was hired to run the firm at the age of twenty-three, but it had been running perfectly under his control and that was thanks to his no-nonsense, confident, stern, 'my way or the highway' attitude. Under his leadership, it was easier for them to count the cases they lost than won.

See he had the young man's attention in the appropriate, professional manner, Creed explained their system again.

"It's alphabetical by **our** clients last name, but paired with the defense's client. That's why both our client's and their client's name is on the file. Got it?"

To be honest, Creed didn't care if he did since he had given his warning of letting him go. While Sephiria hired the interns, Creed had the ability to fire them. This sufficed him enough and he tried to be as fair as possible.

_However, this one is getting on my nerves a bit too much… I'm about ready to fire him just for looking at me that way._

Now he knew how Train felt all those years ago, but was able to push the thought aside with ease. Having been with Train for almost thirteen years now, his days of pining for his beloved were nothing but a distant memory. With Train by his side, life was perfect.

_Let's not forget Fantasy as well. That girl is incredible._

His sister never ceased to amaze him. Her intelligence was something to be coveted, and it made him proud to know they shared blood, even if it was only by their mother. However, anyone that looked at them wouldn't know. They looked so similar people would never know they didn't share the same father as well as the same mother.

As he approached his appointment, he noticed the boy was still following him much too closely. Creed mumbled a curse under his breath, then turned to the irritating intern.

"This meeting is beyond your pay grade. Go make sure the rest of my files are in order."

He sputtered at Creed trying to dismiss him. "B-but, sir! How am I ever going to be a lawyer if I don't see the master in act…"

Creed rolled his eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere…"

_Not unless you have chocolate brown hair and golden, passionate eyes that burn brightly even in the night sky…_

Creed felt himself drifting off to thoughts of his beloved and had to shake himself out of it. He now realized it had been over a week since they'd been intimate, and he was starting to get itchy for his cat.

Making sure his steely blue eyes were giving him a hard look, Creed continued his dismissal of the boy.

"I'm going into this meeting **alone**. **You** are going back to my office and fixing anything else you managed to mess up. And, you're going to do it quickly. Because after this meeting my husband will be here and if you are still in my office at that time and daring to take up any precious time I get with him, you'll not only be gone, but I'll make every firm know about your harassment tendencies. Understand?"

Creed couldn't help the grin that painted itself on his face as he watched the color drain from the intern. The boy nodded and ran to his office, tripping a little as he made his way down the hall. Another thing everyone at his firm learned: Do not get in the way of his time with Train. His cat stopped by often, since his private eye business worked closely with his firm.

He was proud of his beloved. After ten years, his business was booming. Creed tried to convince him to hire people to help, but he refused. Whenever he needed help, Train would call Baldor since he had started his own bodyguard business with his two friends Kranz and Ashe. The moose had been able to make amends with the two men after whatever happened between them after high school, and they were back to normal.

Their business had them moving around a lot, so Baldor didn't mind dropping whatever he was doing to help Train out. He often told him the cat's job was more fun anyway. Baldor mostly just stood around and watched some rich guy and he was so big no one dared mess with whoever was standing next to him leaving him with little to do.

_Still, Train needs to hire help. I also don't think he can say no to Tak forever._

As the teen got older, he started asking more and more if he could help Train. The golden man told him no all the time since most of his cases were dangerous. Occasionally, when he had something safer and got his parent's permission, Train allowed him to tag along. Despite his infatuation for the private eye, Train enjoyed spending time with him. They had always been close and his cat wasn't going to let a crush ruin a friendship.

Creed smiled fondly at that, knowing all too well the depths of Train's loyalty even if the other person made him uneasy. His beloved made sure they stayed friends with each other even after confessing his love for him.

_That's just what a wonderful man my husband is…_

Feeling himself falling back into distracting thoughts of his cat, he slapped himself harshly to snap out of it. He turned around and pushed the doors open to the large conference room. In the room sat his second in command, Lin Shaolee. The man was petite with long, dark hair that reached his knees, pale skin and dark eyes. Although he was approximately the same age as Creed, he looked much younger.

Lin winked sweetly as Creed walked in the room and the silver man rolled his eyes. His partner had a habit of flirting with him for fun, especially after he saw how much the intern's actions annoyed him. He wasn't truly interested, he did it with everyone. In fact, while Creed was annoyed with the interns, Lin loved teasing them.

What bothered Creed the most was his fascination with Train. Lin especially enjoyed toying with his husband and while Creed had gotten over his jealousy problems, he still didn't like seeing another man be so friendly with his cat. However, Creed knew Lin would never try anything for real and it was all in jest.

Sitting across the table from them was an older man. He had black hair with speckles of white in it, large glasses, and a thick beard that covered most of his face. The man's demeanor was stern, yet stressed. He was a potential new client and Creed knew he had to make a good impression. Not that they were short of work, he actually needed to hire more people soon to handle the case load, but Sephiria had told him she wanted to expand this branch in his area, and they needed more clients for that. Creed knew Lin would most likely be the one to run that other firm once it opened and Creed was confident he would reach the goal number of clients Sephiria gave him to make it happen.

Before he sat down he walked around the table to shake the hand of the potential client. "Wonderful to meet you, Mr. Jackson. I'm Creed Diskence. I have the pleasure of running this firm."

The man did not take his hand at first. Instead, he eyed Creed wearily, glancing and Lin every so often. "You two kids are running this business?"

Creed smiled sweetly, keeping his hand out for the man to take. "Yes. I've been running this business for ten years and Mr. Shaolee joined about four years ago. We were both hand picked by Ms. Arks."

The man hesitated, but then stood and shook his hand firmly. Creed could still tell he was a bit uneasy, but name dropping Sephiria seemed to at least get his foot in the door. Creed took his seat across from the man, putting aside the file he didn't have time to drop off at one of his employees' offices due to the interns incompetence.

Both he and Lin took out their notepads to begin the meeting. "So, I understand you're here because you believe your partner is laundering money?"

Creed knew this is what made the man so important. He ran a large business that was currently undergoing a money laundering scheme, which he claimed to have proof came from his work partner.

He nodded. "Yes. I'm positive. And I have the proof to back it up."

The man slid some paperwork across the table which Creed and Lin read through quickly. They shared a concerned look, then handed it back to him.

"Unfortunately, this is not enough evidence. We're going to need more to go on."

His face changed to one of complete frustration, throwing his hands up in the air angrily. "Are you **kidding** me?! I've had a private eye tailing him for months! He assured me this was enough!"

Lin spoke this time. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson, but all this says is he has an extra bank account. There's nothing strange about that. Plenty of people have more than one account. The account listed isn't even out of the country."

He glared at the pale man as if this was his fault. "I paid that asshole a **lot** of money for this information."

"This happens a lot with private detectives. We actually have a small company we work with on a regular basis." Creed smiled brightly as he handed over the card to his beloved's business to the man. "The man who runs it, Train Heartnet, is highly qualified. He has been extremely effective for many of our clients."

Lin giggled quietly at the hidden enthusiasm in Creed's voice. The silver lawyer tried to never mention it was run by his husband because people tended to believe he was being biased.

The man took the card and flipped it back and forth, as if it would change when he did that. "It's run by one guy…"

Creed nodded. "He doesn't really need more than that. I think you'll find he's very good at what he does."

Lin agreed. "Yes. We've only heard positive praises from anyone who's used him."

The man was still unconvinced and he eyed them wearily. "...But it's run by one man…"

Creed took a deep, quiet breath, making sure he did not hear the frustration in his voice. He didn't like how this man questioned his beloved. "Working on his own allows him to pay more personal attention to each case. Mr. Heartnet takes every case we give him very seriously and his results show it."

Lin nodded. "The problem with working with larger businesses like that is you can get lost in the paperwork. You don't get the one-on-one time you would with a smaller business. And despite the size, Mr. Heartnet has a lot of clients. Here, I even have a list of testimonies from his previous cases."

Creed smiled proudly as his second in command slid the paper to him. Again, he took it, but his uneasy look did not change. "If small businesses are the way to go, then why should I trust you with this scandal?"

He pushed Train's card and client testimonies to the side and Creed had to fight the anger growing inside of him as he responded to the stubborn man. "There's a difference between choosing a small private eye business and a small law firm. Small firms can't handle a case this big, but private eyes don't need to know all the details, they just need to find evidence."

The man looked a little more convinced and took another glance at the testimony paper. Creed smirked and decided to name drop again. "I'm sure you've heard of Sephiria Arks?"

He nodded. "That's the only reason I'm here… I just can't believe she'd hire two men who are young enough to be my children to run her firm." He frowned at them. "Makes me wonder if I can trust her."

Creed changed his sweet smile to a powerful one. He leaned forward a little and locked his steely blue eyes onto his dark ones. This had the desired effect as the man sat a bit taller and gave Creed his full attention.

"I promise you, Ms. Arks is as trustworthy as ever. The fact that she hired two younger men to run her business should only prove to you how good we are. And that man, Train Heartnet, who you were so quick to dismiss, was also hand picked by Sephiria." He paused and let the potential client absorb his words, then continued. "In fact, she helped him get his business started because she had so much faith in him. And I have seen first hand what he can do. He's the most impressive man I have ever met and deserves nothing but your respect and praise."

The man's eyes stayed locked on him, which told Creed his forceful certainty kept the man's interest. Creed gestured to the building around them, all while keeping his eyes on the man. "I've been **more** than successful in running this business for **ten years**. Ms. Arks knew I'd be able to do more than an adequate job, and I think our success rate is more than enough proof of that."

The man didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned his lips on his hands and motioned for Creed to continue, which he did.

"But, I ask you not to judge us based on our success rate. Judge us on our failures. After all, there are so few."

He gave the man a proud smirk which earned a nod from the man. Lin smiled as well, leaning back in his chair, knowing Creed had the man right where he wanted them. The potential client picked up Train's card again along with his testimony list and furrowed his brow.

"... I need to make a few calls. Can I use this room while I do that?"

Creed smiled and stood. Normally he would say no, but this client was far too important to deny anything.

"Take all the time you need." He gestured towards a computer they had set up in there. "You can even use that computer to look up more information on us and Mr. Heartnet.

_Not that Train needs your approval… He's perfect._

Creed made sure to keep this thought to himself as he shook the man's hand one more time before he left. Lin followed soon after him, catching up as Creed made his way down the hall to deliver the files he meant to earlier.

Lin gave him a triumphant slap on the back. "I don't even know why you needed me there."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "It's important we both make an appearance with clients that important. You know that."

The dark haired man laughed. "I know, I know. But still, between the good looks, charm, and intelligence, I feel like I'm pretty useless around here sometimes…"

Creed rolled his eyes. "You know what your worth is, so don't even try it."

They approached the office the documents needed to go to and Creed handed them off, not bothering to say anything to the woman as she was on the phone. She mouthed her thanks and got back to her conversation quickly. Lin smiled at her and followed after Creed again.

"Excuse me for trying to give a compliment to my dashing partner. What do I have to do to get a thank you out of that pretty mouth?"

Creed sighed and walked back to his office, wanting to make sure it was empty for Train's soon arrival. "First of all, even if we are technically partners, do not call me that. Train is the only one who can call me that. Second, I think your pay and title should be enough thanks for you."

Lin pouted, but Creed knew he was just mocking him with the gesture. "If I can't call you 'partner', what can I call you."

"Boss. Because I still sign your paychecks and I have the power to fire you."

Lin's pout changed to a seductive smirk as he trailed a finger Creed's arm. "Oooh, I like it when you're all forceful and direct. Train is certainly a lucky guy."

Creed kept his pace walking down the hall and pulled his arm away. He was about to scold Lin when he noticed his attention had been driven elsewhere.

"Then again… I can't help but feel a bit of envy towards you for what you get to go home to every night."

Creed cocked an eyebrow, then followed his gaze to the elevator. Train had stepped out in a hurry, holding a dozen red roses and panting heavily. Based on his panicked look, Creed could tell his cat thought he was running late. Luckily for Train, Creed planned on him being late, so he always gave him an early time to meet.

_I'll never tell him that, though. If he learned of my deceit, he'd be even later thinking he had more time. Plus, I'll never get tired of his little gifts for thinking he's late._

Creed didn't need to know the roses were for him. Whenever his love thought he was extra late, he would bring something as an apology. Of course, Creed was never mad.

_How could I ever be mad at someone so cute?_

The silver man couldn't help but sigh in bliss at how adorable his husband looked trying to make himself not look as frazzled as he was. When he heard Lin sigh next to him, Creed frowned.

" **And** he brought roses? Ugh, you're such a lucky man…" Lin grimaced when he eyed the cat's attire. "But **what** is he wearing?"

Creed looked back to his stressed cat and gawked in confusion. Train still had on his white, low cut shirt, but now he had on a blue coat with what looked like donuts on them. It looked atrocious, but it did bring his attention to his beloved's chiseled chest and noted longingly the bit of sweat falling from his neck to his torso.

_God, it's been too long since we've made love! Maybe I can entice him into an afternoon delight..._

Hearing Lin let out a quiet whistle, he knew he wasn't the only one to notice. Before the man next to him could do anything more to turn his husband into a piece of meat, Creed skipped over to his cat and embraced him tightly. Train jumped a little, not expecting his partner to come from the opposite end of the hallway as his office, but returned the hug nonetheless.

"Hey, Creed. I'm sorry I'm late."

Creed smiled and kissed his love's neck, then cheek, lingering a little to test the waters of where Train stood on the possibility of being intimate in his office. Feeling the goosebumps form on his soft skin, his smile turned into a smirk, knowing he might be in luck.

"You have nothing to apologize for. My last meeting went late anyway."

Train sighed in relief, then pulled Creed away to give him a puzzled look. "Your meetings always seem to go late when I'm here…"

Creed cursed in his head, hoping his love wasn't about to figure out his scheme into making sure he was on time.

_Why must my cat be so clever?!_

Creed gave him the sweet smile he knew Train adored. "Happens all the time. Right, Lin?"

Lin smiled wantonly as he walked up to the duo, but nodded his head in agreement. He knew Creed's tendency to be flexible with the times he told Train to come and wasn't about to let the cat in on the secret. In fact, Lin had often given him early times as well when he needed to call him to meet with a client who was looking for a private detective. Telling the man the truth would hurt them both.

"That's right! Busy life of a lawyer after all." Train still had his arms around Creed as he stepped forward, Lin's eyes trailing him up and down with the same fascination he always had in regards to the golden man. "You're looking scrumptious as always, Train…"

He chuckled as the cat turned a beat red and pulled Creed closer. His reactions were far too entertaining, which is one of the reasons why he often made comments like that.

"Must be the new outfit. You like it?" Train directed the question at Creed, but Lin answered anyway.

"No. It's actually quite awful." He smirked and pinched his shoulder. "But it does draw the eye in…"

Creed gave him a warning glare which made Lin chuckle again as he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. "No need to get salty, Creed. I need to meet that intern you keep spurring anyway."

Creed watched as the man walked away then gave his beloved a kiss on the lips. His co-workers were often amazed at how quickly his attitude would change whenever Train showed up. One minute he was all business, then the next he was dotting lovingly on his husband.

The lawyer pulled away and smiled brightly at Train. "Are those for me?"

Train sputtered and pulled out the roses. "Yes. They're so you won't be mad at me."

Creed sighed and kissed his beloved again. "You know I could never be mad at you."

Train laughed. "Alright, then I'll stop getting them for you."

"No! Don't you dare, they're mine!" Creed took them quickly and breathed their scent in deeply.

Seeing Train's mocking smile, Creed smiled back and grabbed his beloved's hand, leading him down the hall to his office.

_That kid better be out of there. Not only does he have to meet with Lin, but I have no qualm of firing him in front of Train._

As they approached his office, Creed saw the boy coming out quickly. He yelped loudly, blushing brightly as the couple approached then ran down the hallway frantically. Creed nodded in approval.

_Better late than never I guess._

Creed led his beloved in his office, placing the roses on a vase he had ready for them, knowing Train would be bringing him some sort of apology flower. Train eyed the vase curiously, which made the lawyer a bit nervous.

"You always seem to have a vase ready for me…"

Creed bit his lip then sat on his desk and faced Train, hoping his sweet smile would be distracting enough for her beloved to not put together the lies he told to make sure he was on time.

"How has your day been going?"

Luckily for Creed, it was pretty easy to distract Train with his smile. Train smirked at the cute face Creed made, then sighed deeply at the question.

He ran a hand through his dark, messy hair. "Rough…"

Creed frowned and gestured for Train to sit next to him. "I thought today was going to be an easy day off?"

Train sat next to his partner and rested his head on Creed's shoulder. "It was… Then Fantasy had a panic attack before she got on the bus and I had to drive her and Tak to school.

Creed's eyes widened at this news. "Is she okay?!"

Train nodded. "She's fine now. Tak took the morning off with her and that was enough time for her to calm down. I offered for her to take the rest of the day off, but she insisted she wanted to go in."

Creed smiled and caressed his beloved's hair. "And you're sure she was okay?"

Train nodded again. "Yes. She was back to normal in no time. Having Tak there really helped her." He then thought about the issues he had signing her in and leaving and decided to question Creed on it. "Have you ever had a problem signing Fantasy in when she's been late?"

Creed thought about that, then shook his head. "No. They asked for my ID once, but after that they just regonzied me and there haven't been any issues. I picked her up early yesterday for a doctor's appointment, remember?"

"Yes, I do. So you met the new secretary?"

Another nod. "Yes. She seemed nice."

"How long did it take you?"

Creed frowned. "Five minutes, tops."

Train sighed again and put his head in his hands. Creed smiled slightly, understanding what he was complaining about.

"She came on to you, didn't she?"

"Yes!" Train shouted. "I was there for twenty minutes waiting for her to let me go. Fantasy and Tak were already in class at that point too! Then, I tried to leave and got stalked to my car by a student and I had to lecture her on making better choices."

Creed giggled at his love and rubbed his cheek fondly. "My poor cat, always batting off the ladies…"

Train growled and glared at his partner. "It's not funny, Creed. It's really annoying."

Creed shrugged his shoulders. "That's what you get for being so gorgeous and charming."

Train smirked at him, then grabbed Creed's hand to kiss it. "You're not so bad to look at yourself. Why don't you have these problems?"

The lawyer smiled and kissed Train's cheek. "Oh, men come on to me all the time. Just not women."

"Wait, what?" Train pulled away from his husband and looked at him perplexed.

"Sephiria keeps hiring interns she knows are going to become infatuated with me. She does it to mess with me."

Train narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really?"

Creed enjoyed hearing Train get jealous, so he described a little more. "Oh, yes! That intern that ran out of here just before we walked in? He's been following me around like a love sick puppy since he got here."

The cat frowned. "Why was he in our office alone…?"

Creed flicked his love's nose. "Don't be that way. He messed up my filing system and I made him fix it before you got here so we could be alone. With the threat of being fired, I see he was able to work fast." He glanced at his cabinets. "Now let's just hope he did it right…"

Train nodded, seeming to understand what his husband was saying. "I don't think you should be threatening to fire people just because they're annoying you."

Creed brushed his words away. "He's completely useless. He causes more problems than he fixes."

The golden man laughed. "This is why I don't work with anyone."

The silver man smiled at his cat and rested his head on Train's shoulder. "You can't run from that forever, Love."

Train kissed Creed's head, running his hand through his silver locks tenderly. "Back to my previous question: Why don't **you** have women problems?"

Creed giggled. "Because they know what I'm all about…"

"What does that mean?"

Creed sighed. His cat was clever, but also so oblivious sometimes. "My sexual preferences are clear and well defined. That's why men come onto me as opposed to women. I think they can just sense they'd get nowhere with me, even if I wasn't married. You, my Love, are more…. ambiguous in your tastes. This makes women think there is a chance."

Train rolled his eyes. "Well, that just seems unfair."

The lawyer shrugged his shoulders and held Train's other hand. "I guess, but you haven't run into anything too bad yet, right?"

Train shivered, thinking of the encounter with that girl. "Those girls at Fantasy's school could get me in trouble."

Creed frowned at his beloved, keeping his head on Train's shoulder as he rubbed his knee. "What do you mean?"

"If they're as dedicated to their hormones as Fantasy said they were, who knows what they'll do. They could lie and get me in trouble."

Creed nodded his head, understanding what his cat was hinting at. "I see. As your lawyer, I recommend you start recording any interactions you have one-on-one with them. Got that?"

Train nodded and rested his head on Creed's, now caressing the man's cheek gingerly. Creed purred at the gestures, knowing his cat loved it when he did that.

"That's what happens when you're as sexy as you are and give off even a hint of straightness." He was still trying to seduce his cat enough into getting to him have sex in his office, so he wanted to mention his body as much as possible.

Then he frowned when he remembered what Train was wearing. "May I ask what this… **thing** is you've chosen to adorn your flawless body?

His poor cat looked so frustrated with his next sigh. "Fantasy asked me to wear different clothes when I picked her up today, hence this." He gestured to his jacket, then pouted. "You don't like it?"

"What the hell are these atrocious donut things?!" Creed smacked the circles on his jack.

Train made an offended sound and clutched the spot Creed hit. "How dare you insult my clothing?! I like it. It's different!"

Creed rolled his eyes. "It's an eye drawer. If you are trying to get **more** of those girls to look at you, then good job."

The cat raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I think Fantasy meant for you to buy a new shirt that showed less skin, not get a jacket that will draw even more attention to you."

His beloved gave him a sad, puppy dog look. "But I liked this jacket and all the shirts were boring! At least this is exciting."

Creed forced back a chuckle. "It's not exciting, it's distracting. And not in the way you want."

Train stuck his tongue out then stood from the desk. "Fine, then I guess I'll just leave if you're so distracted by my jacket."

Creed whimpered and reached for his love before he could leave. "No! I mean it's distracting because I can't look away from your chest now! I mean, I can't normally, but now you've pretty much just drawn a target mark on one of your best physical features."

The cat smirked and looked over his shoulder at his partner. He was only messing with Creed, but upon hearing that hint of lust in his voice, Train had a feeling he got more than he meant with his playful gesture.

"Oh really? Then should I just take it off?"

Creed licked his lips when he saw that look on Train's face. "Oh, please, take more than just that off…"

Train took his jack off, dropping it on the floor as he walked over to him. Creed was grateful the only windows in his office were to the outside and since they were on the top floor, he wasn't worried about anyone seeing them.

As Train walked up to him, Creed spread his legs so his beloved would have room to stand between them. The instant his cat reached him, Creed wrapped his hands around the back of Trian's head, and tugged at his hair lustfully. Their lips locked immediately and Train wrapped his arms around the silver man's back, pulling his chest against his own so he could deepen their kiss.

When Train's tongue entered his mouth, Creed felt warm chills go down his back and moaned at the sensation. Feeling Train's hand slip under his shirt and tickle his lower back, Creed wrapped his legs around Train's waist and pulled him close. He already knew he was getting hard and hoped his beloved would feel it.

Train did feel his husbands excited throb against him and he slipped one hand from Creed's back and to his pants. His other stayed against Creed's back, making sure his partner stayed in place as his other expertly undid his belt and zipper. Before slipping down his pants, Train decided to tease the man a little more by moving his hand up Creed's stomach and chest.

The silver man moaned in both pleasure and disappointed at Train's hand. He wanted his love so desperately to caress between his legs, but when he felt Train's warm hand rubbing and groping intensely at his torso, he also didn't want him to leave there. However, Creed wanted more than just kisses and caresses from his cat, so he pushed things further by undoing Train's pants as well.

He was happy to see Train's pants did not require a belt which left only a button and zipper in the way of what his hand sought. Creed slid his hand between Train's legs and relished the excited shiver and fervid moan his cat let out. Creed gripped his beloved tightly between his legs, moving up and down quickly, nibbling at Train's bottom lip intensely.

Train pulled his mouth away from Creed's lips and attached them to his neck. He started nibbling and sucking at the supple skin there and Creed used the hand that wasn't jerking Train off to move up his cat's shirt to find his nipple.

The golden man gasped loudly, then covered his mouth when he remembered where they were. Creed chuckled and whispered in Train's ear seductively.

"Don't worry, Love. Everyone will be gone for lunch by now." He moved his hand faster against his shaft and nibbled his earlobe tenderly. "So… Let me hear your gasps…"

When Creed pinched his nipple again, he couldn't help himself and cried out again. Creed smirked and did it again, a little harder this time, wanting to hear his beloved's voice shout out even louder.

Hearing Train's breath pick up as he kept the quick motions with his hand jerking him off, Creed wanted to push his love even further. While he was enjoying what was happening, he wanted Train to make love to him and that wasn't going to happen if he kept things this tame.

Just as he was about to pull his hand away to make his cat beg for more, he felt Train slip his hand under his pants and grasp his member tightly. Creed gasped loudly into Train's ear and bit his neck forcefully as his love moved back and forth. The silver man started to shiver with desire, his body craving for his cat to do more.

"Oh, Train…" He moaned in his partner's ear, quicken his motions against Train, despite his want to not make his love cum before he got what he wanted. "Please… More…"

He felt his cat stop moving against his member and bring his fingers to his mouth. Creed felt his heart skip a beat, knowing what his beloved had planned as he lubricated his fingers generously. When Train brought them back, Creed felt his breath quicken, his body becoming more aroused at the knowledge that Train's fingers would soon be inside of him.

Train slipped his hand back under Creed's pants, but this time on the other end as he pushed deep inside him. He used two fingers at first, moving back and forth slowly as his husband adjusted himself on the desk. Creed took his hands out from Train's pants and shirt and wrapped his arms around his cat's neck, using them to pull himself up a little so his partner had more access to his rear.

Seeing Creed had lifted himself a little, Train inserted a third finger and smiled when the lawyer moaned dramatically. When he heard Creed cry out louder, Train knew he had managed to find the spot and sighed in relief. He was worried at the strange angel if he'd be unable to accomplish the task.

Creed was gripping firmly to Train's neck, ravishing the man's face to prevent himself from shouting out too much. He knew when he told Train everyone was gone for lunch that it wasn't the entire truth. There were bound to be a few people around, so he didn't want to make too much noise. Feeling his beloved's fingers poking sensually at his pleasurable spot, Creed was easily able to forgive himself for the white lie. He wanted his cat to feel like he had more freedom than he probably did.

The lawyer pulled away from his husband to check the door and cursed when he saw he forgot to lock it. When Train shoved his fingers further in and wiggled them quickly against his sensitive spot, Creed instantly forgot his problems and gasped loudly.

"Oh, Train…" His body was beginning to shake with pleasure and his vision was blurring. He knew he was about to explode, but he didn't want to without Train inside him.

He moved his shaky hands to Train's pants and tried to pull them down. The cat retreated his hand, much to Creed's dismay, but he comforted himself with the knowledge that he would be getting more soon.

However, a knock at the door made both of them freeze. Creed growled loudly as Train pulled his pants back up and glared violently at the door.

"WHAT?!"

He heard Lin's amused voice, which told Creed he had been standing there listening in longer than he should have. "Enjoying your lunch?"

If Creed could breathe fire, he would have. His arrival was completely changing the mood and Train was even zipping back up which made Creed's body ache painfully.

"Yes, I am! Go enjoy yours!"

Lin whined. "I don't have anything as yummy as you do…" He could hear the man giggle, then speak in a quieter voice. "...Can we share?"

Creed stood and stomped towards the door, peeking only his head out as he nearly bit the man's head off. "Get the hell out of here before I kick your ass to the unemployment office…"

Lin laughed again and walked away, waving as he left. "Just giving you a time check. You've got about fifteen minutes until our next appointment."

Creed growled as he walked away, then slammed the door tightly, making sure to lock it. He growled even louder when he saw Train had fully reclothed himself and stormed towards the man he loved.

"Oh, **hell** no! I am **not** done with you yet, Cat…"

Train yelped as Creed pushed his back onto the desk, nearly making the golden man fall off the other end as all his papers fluttered to the floor. Creed didn't care because seconds later, he was stradling Train's waist and attacking his face with his lips once more.

The cat sputtered under the man, not ready for the savage assault and pushed Creed away slightly.

"Creed, you heard him. You only have a few minutes until you need to go."

Creed pushed Train back down. "That's all I need…"

Train yelped again when Creed bit his neck and pulled him away again. "Seriously, Creed, you don't have enough time."

Once more, Creed pushed him back down and attached himself to Train's neck, sucking at his skin hungrily. "I won't if you keep talking."

Feeling Train's member had softened at Lin's entrance, Creed cursed inwardly.

_Damnit, now I have to start all over again!_

He, on the other hand, didn't care who interrupted them. Creed was always ready for his beloved. All Train had to do was lay there and let the lawyer work.

_But I can't work if Train isn't ready. Damn that man!_

Lin was just lucky it had been him to interrupt them and not anyone else. While he had the ability to fire the other lawyer, he knew it would be a stupid idea to do it just because he stopped him from having sex with Train.

As Creed desperately licked, kissed, nibbled, and sucked at Train's neck, he slid both his hands up Train's shirt and started working at his nipples again. He added another level to that by gyrating his hips against his husband's, pressing down strong enough that Train could feel how hard he still was and hopefully getting his golden love excited again.

He heard Train moan and grip his hips passionately, making Creed sigh in relief and quicken his motions. He moved his hips faster against Train's and pushed down harder. He sucked wildly at his cat's neck and danced his fingers skillfully on his chest, doing everything he knew that turned Train on, praying he wouldn't be interrupted again. At this point, he didn't care if he was late or not. He wanted Train so badly.

When Creed felt like Train was fully erect again, he slipped his hands back into his beloved's pants and frantically moved his hands between his legs, using both to jerk his husband off again. He could feel Train twitching and moaning beneath him which encouraged him to move faster and grip harder. To do this, Creed needed more lubrication and not wanting to waste time finding something they could use and potentially end the moment, he decided to pull his hands out and spit on them quickly, then continued his movements on his cat.

Creed watched Train's face as he gasped and flinched in pleasure. He locked his lips back onto Train's as he used one hand to begin undoing his own pants again. However, the silver man was shaking with his desire to be with Train and frustration at being so close to cumming and cut short that it made the task harder.

Train moved his hands from Creed's hips to help him, feeling himself ready once more to enter his partner. He stopped and pulled his lips away from Creed when his ears heard someone messing with the door. It seemed like Creed did not notice since he whined when Train stopped what he was doing. He kept his hand going against his beloved's member and tried to unzip his pants quickly.

When the door opened, Train grabbed both of Creed's wrists to stop him. Still not quite understanding what the problem was, the lawyer tried to latch onto Train's neck again, but was stopped when his love sat up and gripped his wrists tighter.

Frowning, Creed saw his cat's face turn a bright shade of red and his eyes widen as he looked behind him. Creed turned around and felt flames erupt from his eyes as the useless intern he had just been complaining about stood frozen at the door. The poor boy was completely colorless and shook to his core. It was clear he did not expect to walk into what he just walked into.

Train fell back down and covered his face, trying to hide his shame at being caught trying to have sex in his husband's office. Creed, on the other hand, was furious. He had been craving Train's body for the last week and a half and now that they finally had the time, he didn't care where they were. The silver man locked eyes with the frozen intern and growled violently.

"How the **hell** did you get in here?!"

He didn't respond, but simply held up a key and pointed to it. Knowing the useless man did not have access to his office key, Creed looked behind him and saw a very proud, ever entertained Lin. He winked and blew a kiss at Creed, then bounced off happily, as if he had accomplished something great.

"Mr. Shaolee told me you locked the door because you were working hard and I should just let myself in."

Creed gestured to the man lying beneath him. "Clearly I **am** working **very** hard…"

The lawyer saw Train covered his face with his arms and felt the urge to jump him again. His beloved was just too delicious not to devour.

The intern blushed brightly as he eyed Train, then shook his head to look at his boss. "I-I can see that, but he said your next client is here. He also told me to tell you Mr. Jackson is still in the conference room using the computer and you need to get an answer out of him and get him out."

Creed growled again. "Why can't Shaolee do it…?"

"M-Mr. Shaolee said you had to do it…"

The silver man kept glaring at him, which made the boy sweat and leave the room.

"I-I'll just tell him you need a few more minutes."

He shut the door quietly and Creed tried to ravage his love once more. Train held his wrists again and Creed couldn't break free of the strong grip. The lawyer even tried to lean forward and kiss him again, but Train held him in place and gave him a strong look.

"I'm sorry, Creed, but that **really** killed the mood. You need to get going."

Creed whined. "But, Train… I can't take this anymore! It's been nine days!"

Train chuckled. "Have you been counting?"

Creed pouted and nodded his head. The cat kissed his forehead calmly and held his face in his hands. "To be continued. Okay?"

The lawyer sighed and leaned his forehead against Train's. "You better mean that…"

Train gave him the sweetest kiss possible and Creed felt his heart swoon. No matter how long he had loved Train and how long they had been together, Creed knew he would never be able to get over the majesty of his cat.

Train pulled away and smiled cheekily. "I promise…"

Creed sighed and stood from the desk, straightening his clothes and putting non-sexual thoughts in his head. That was hard to do with Train breathing heavily on his desk, trying to get his senses together. He decided he couldn't look at his beloved right now without wanting to jump him again and left the room quickly.

As he passed the elevator to get back to the conference room, he barely noticed someone stepping out. A co-worker was passing him in the opposite direction and she gasped loudly which alerted Creed to possible danger behind him.

However, before he could turn around, someone had locked their arm around his neck and pointed a gun at his head. Creed froze in his place as he heard the woman scream and a few people left their offices to see what was happening. Even Lin and Jackson peeked their heads out from down the hall and watched the scene unfold.

No one moved because no one knew what to do. Whatever thoughts that were racing through Creed's mind earlier slipped out his ear as his mind went completely blank and his body froze. He heard the harsh whisper of the man in his ear, sending a cold chill down his back.

"You'll pay for what you did…"

Creed suddenly felt himself being pushed forward and a gun shot rang loud in his ear. He fell to the ground, face first and he moved away quickly. The lawyer stuck a finger in his ear, wanting to hear something, but could only hear the ringing the gun shot had created. He knew people were screaming and running away, but he couldn't hear any of that.

He crawled on the ground, finally stopping against a wall and tried to catch his breath. Another shot was released and that one he saw shatter a window above his head. It entered an office he knew was empty, but he covered his head to protect himself from the falling glass. Through his ringing ears, he heard another gunshot and turned around to see what was happening, but his vision was blocked momentarily as that bullet pierced through the ceiling above his head and plaster fell, causing him to cough and sputter.

Finally, when the dust cleared in front of him, he saw Train pinning a man to the ground with his knee, gripping the shooter's wrist tightly as he locked it behind his back. Creed still couldn't hear anything other than the ringing in his ear, but he knew the man Train had shoved to the ground was shouting at him. He saw his cat scream something back at him, but didn't know what it was.

Train's face was both frightened and enraged as he screamed something else at the man, using his one hands to press the shooter's face into the carpeted floor while his other pulled his wrist back further, threatening to break the man's arm. His knee was pressing hard enough into his back that the shooter could breathe, but barely speak.

The golden man used his other foot to kick away the gun he had dropped. It slid across the floor until someone else was able to grab it, making sure they had a tissue in hand before taking it. Being in an office full of lawyers was useful for a situation like this. Someone else was even able to present them with a plastic bag they could drop the gun into.

However, Creed didn't need to check for fingerprints to know who it was. This was a man he had put away several years ago for manslaughter. He was drunk and ran over a man, killing him instantly, then drove away before any emergency help could arrive. Creed remembered how angry the driver was when they locked him away. He even went so far as to threaten Creed at the sentencing, but the silver lawyer had completely forgotten about him until this moment.

He felt Lin kneeling next to him suddenly, checking to see if he was okay. Creed still couldn't hear anything, but when he saw Train give him a scared look, he managed to nod his head vigorously, answering a question his beloved's eyes asked him.

Train requested something to tie him up with and someone had come along with a long piece of zip tie. The cat was grateful for it since rope probably wouldn't have been enough. This guy was huge and in that moment, Train was happy for all the extra training he had done over the years. He might not have been able to take him down if he hadn't done so much extra work on skills.

The golden man tied his hands behind his back and lifted him roughly. At this point, he decided to show him he had a gun on him as well and lifted the bottom of his pants so the man could see he was armed.

The shooter growled and glared at Train. "Then why didn't you shoot me?!"

The cat simply smirked and returned his glare. "You're not worth the bullet…"

Train gave his husband one more concerned glance before escorting the man out of the building, knowing someone had already called the police and they were most likely just pulling up to the building now. Hearing the sirens, he moved quickly, hitting the man in the back of the head with his fist and telling him to shut up.

Before the door's closed, someone shouted his name and he looked up, seeing the bag with the shooter's gun being thrown at him. Train caught it elegantly, making sure not to set it off again, but giving the person who threw it a warning looking. He knew he could catch it safely, but they probably just got lucky with the throw.

Before the doors closed he smiled at Creed, settling the silver man's heart after what had just happened. His hearing had returned a little, but the ringing was still there. Lin helped him to his feet and he was instantly surrounded by his firm's workers, all of them wanting to make sure he was okay.

He took a deep breath and pushed them away, turning when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Creed saw the shocked, yet impressed face of the man he had been trying to get business from. Jackson gestured towards the elevator and spoke loudly, knowing Creed probably couldn't hear too well after having a gun shot off next to his ear.

"Is that the private eye you work with?" At Creed's nod, the man smirked and put out his hand. "That seals the deal. I'll be hiring your firm and that man. Probably for more than just this one job."

Creed blinked and shook his hand. With that, the man walked away, stepping into the elevator as Train reappeared. He tried to thank Train for saving him and explain the several jobs he wanted him to do, but the cat patted his back and told him they would talk later as he rushed down the hall to check on Creed.

As the doors to the elevator closed, Train reached his husband and grabbed his shoulders firmly. "Are you okay?"

Creed stared at the closed elevator, then looked at his beloved. Still hearing his ears ringing, Creed guessed what Train had said to him. "Nothing that therapy can't fix…"

Train stared at his partner for a second, then sighed heartily. He knew after everything they'd been through, Creed wouldn't let something like this get him down.

In the next instant, Creed had launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around Train's neck and kissing him deeply. Train took a second to respond to the motion, not ready for his partner to be so extreme with the sudden kiss. He managed to control the depths of Creed's emotions and wrap his arms around his husband's waist to return the gesture.

The other people in the room didn't matter to Creed. Time and time again, his beloved had proven how amazing he was and each time he felt himself fall more and more in love with him. Just when he thought Creed had reached the limit on the emotion, he managed to push that limit just a bit farther and create a new level of love only he was lucky enough to experience.

Creed pulled away and ran his fingers delicately through Train's hair. "Still my hero after all this time…"

* * *

Fantasy was sitting on a bench in their school's courtyard, sweating profusely after their practice today. They had a race coming up soon, so their coach had been pushing them even harder. She made a mental note to let Train know they needed to practice more.

"So, who's picking you up today?"

The silver girl glared at the red head out of the corner of her eye. A lot of the team had left already, but not Train's little fan club. Jessica, her two friends, and a few other seniors had stayed behind to wait with Fantasy. Some of them tried to phrase it that they wanted to hang out with her, but she knew a twelve year old girl had nothing of interest to offer seventeen and eighteen year olds.

_Well, other than a certain 'DILF' they are all obsessed with…_

She prayed Train had bought a new shirt today or that these girls were called by their parents to come home, but she knew that was a long shot. They were all old enough to drive themselves and either had their own cars or borrowed their parents on days they had to stay late. Jessica carpooled with her group of friends and there was no way she was going to leave without seeing Train. She was the leader of her unofficial 'Golden DILF' club, as she called it when she thought Fantasy wasn't listening.

_At least she's kind enough to_ _**try** _ _and spare my feelings. But I can't help and think that she's only that nice to me so I'll be her friend and she can get closer to Train._

"I told you my brother is picking me up today. Train is working late." She lied to them in hopes they would just leave, but apparently they didn't believe her.

Jessica laughed as she sat next to her and messed with her hair playfully. Like a big sister would to their little one. "You're sweet, Fantasy, but you're a terrible liar."

Another girl sat on the other side of her and elbowed her in a friendly manner. "Aren't you becoming a teenager tomorrow?"

Fantasy glanced at her, then nodded. She pulled out her phone and texted Tak, hoping talking to her friend would stop the rage boling inside of her having to deal with these girls pretending they gave a damn about her. Honestly, she didn't want them to care cause she didn't particularly care about them. They weren't bad girls, but they were all popular and Fantasy didn't like popular people. She never liked being the center of attention, so she didn't understand people who did.

_Plus, they're all so fake. They're popular because they're fake. I hate fake people._

Creed, Train, Tak, and all her other adopted family like Saya were so true to themselves. People either loved them, or hated them which is the way Fantasy preferred it. She didn't want to fit in, she wanted to be weird. Like her King always told her, being weird was cool.

"Oh! You are? That's an important number. Are you having a party?!"

Fantasy sighed and stared at her text message history with Tak, hoping he would respond. "No."

She knew that was a lie too since she was positive her brother and Train were trying to surprise her with something. Fantasy had even gotten a text from Saya that was meant to be sent to Train. She made Fantasy promise not to tell either of her adopters what she said and the silver girl cared enough about her self-proclaimed aunt not to tattle on her. Her eyes lit up when she saw Saya had texted her again. They started a gif thread with one another, and Fantasy was now grateful her aunt sent her a message by mistake.

_At least this is something to distract me._

She sent her aunt a gif of a dancing hippo and watched her phone for a response.

Jessica sighed. "What did I say, Fantasy? You're a terrible liar. Can we come?"

"No." Fantasy said again, refusing to pretend she liked the girl.

"Why?" Came a voice from behind her, another one of Jesscia's friends.

The other girls were still stretching on the field, glancing down the street every so often. Fantasy preferred those girls to these three. At least they didn't try to be her friend.

"Because it's family only."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "But I bet that boy Tak is going."

Fantasy eyed her sternly. "He's family."

The girl standing behind her laughed. "I'm sure he wishes he was. I've seen the way he clings to Train."

Hearing the other girls laugh made Fantasy's blood boil. While they weren't saying anything mean about him, she could tell they were just jealous Tak was her friend and able to spend time with Train.

"Tak has known Train his entire life. He looks up to Train."

Jessica giggled. "I'm sure he does…"

Fantasy felt her head starting to hurt from their stupid giggles.

_How can I be so much younger than them, yet so much more mature?_

"Oh, golden alert!"

Fantasy stood immediately when she heard one of the girls say that. That was the code they used to let each other know Train was coming. It was something far more inappropriate before Fantasy managed to get them to change it.

"Thank God…" She mumbled to herself as she gathered her things quickly.

She had been waiting long enough that she had time to finish her homework. Not that it ever took her long anyway. The girl tried to pack up quicker when she noticed the other girls were already on their way over to the car.

"Oh, it's a two for one special this time! Silver and gold discount!"

Fantasy's eyes shot up when she heard that, knowing it meant Creed was there as well. They rarely picked her up together, but she had learned the easily decipherable code in no time.

_They're_ _ **both**_ _here?! This is so much worse!_

She looked up to see who was still there and noticed there was a combination of Creed and Train's admirers. Fantasy cursed to herself slightly as she shoved the rest of her papers into her bag. She was normally very organized like her brother, but she desperately wanted to get out of there before the chaos ensued.

_Or before either of them gets out of the car. Why is he parking so far away?!_

The girl noticed Train car parked about halfway down the street and was running towards them. Jessica was the first to get to him and even tried to run alongside him. Fantasy watched Train actually pushed her away, but the redhead just laughed and caught up again. It didn't get any better for her hero as he was cut off by Jessica's friends. Thanks to his parkour training, he was easily able to get around them and to Fantasy.

She grabbed her bag violently and started walking towards Train, but noticed while he was busy avoiding his fan club, Fantasy cringed when she saw two girls approaching the car where Creed still sat. She covered her face and blushed brightly when they actually tried to start a conversation with him, praying this embarrassment would be over soon. There were a few girls still standing on the field, peeking over at the commotion, beginning to move closer so they could get a better look at the men that raised her.

_Today has already royally sucked! Why is_ _ **this**_ _happening now?_

She had started walking towards Train and replayed the day in her head. First, the break down, then being late to school which made her have to deal with watching the new secretary awkwardly flirt with Train before she left for class, then to top it off she could see Jessica and her friends follow Train out of the building during the first class she managed to make.

She also had a terrible practice run due to the stress of this morning, she didn't get to hang out with Tak at all. She even got in trouble for passing a note in class that didn't belong to her. It just landed on her desk at the worst possible time and when she tried to hand it back to its owner, the teacher turned and looked at her. This resulted in all eyes on her, which, of course, she absolutely hated.

When she finally got to Train, she noticed what he was wearing and got even more mad. It was small, but just enough to set her over the edge.

"You said you'd change your clothes…" She kept her voice low, trying not to call more attention to them than they already were.

_Too late, everyone's staring._

She wanted to crawl into the ground and live the rest of her life there. What made it worse was that Train's shirt was actually ripped a bit, which only made it more open. Again, she knew it was insignificant and normally would be able to brush it off much easier, but after the day she had, everything was setting her off.

Train looked down at himself and frowned, realizing now he had left his jacket in Creed's office and his tussle with the shooter had torn his shirt. She walked past Train and towards the car, growing even more angry when she noticed the girls were still trying to talk to Creed. Jessica had caught up as well, but Train ignored her in favor of his Little Queen.

"Fantasy, I'm sorry! It's been a rough day. Creed wa-"

"Why are you so late?! I've been waiting for an hour!" She turned to face him as she spoke, her voice louder than she intended which only made more people look at her.

"I'm trying to tell you why. We had to-"

"You didn't change your clothes like I asked! I don't ask you for **anything** , but I asked for you this and you couldn't do that!"

The logical side of her knew everything she was saying was wrong. Train did everything for her, but right now that didn't seem to matter. There was a couple walking down the street that even stopped to watch Fantasy yell at her hero. They stressed her out more and she took it out on Train again.

"You should have called! Or Text! Is that really so hard?!" She then pointed to Creed who had peaked his head through the window, ushering the girls away with his hand. There was something in his ears, but again she was too mad to care. "And why are you **both** here?! It only takes one person to drive a car!"

"Little Queen…" Train walked up to her and got down on one knee. He did this whenever she was upset, saying it was his way of bowing to her presence. "I'm really sorry… But if you let me finish my sentence, you'd understand-"

"Understand what?"

Normally everything he was doing would calm her down. She loved when he kneeled to her like a real queen. It had been an inside joke with them ever since she was little. Train even bowed her head, but she could tell it wasn't just meant to be a joke. He was trying to keep his cool as well. He had never yelled at her before and promised he never would, but it seemed like right now he was having a hard time.

Again, she didn't care what his struggles were. People in houses across the street had started to come outside at the scene she was making and she felt herself beginning to get anxious. She felt her breathing get faster and her heart was beating hard in her chest. She didn't know why she said what she said next, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Understand that you don't care and you'll just abandon me like my mother?!"

If anyone was talking before, they weren't now. Train's head shot up and he stared at her with such a pained look Fantasy could barely stand it. His mouth was opened slightly and his eye glistened a little with unshed tears. She knew she had gone too far and regretted saying it immediately.

"Fantasy… Is that really how you feel?"

It wasn't, but in that moment, she realized why it really bothered her when Train was late. She realized there was still a part of her that believed she and Creed would abandon her in an alley one day. This realization would have been better revealed in therapy, not in front of her track team and strangers.

The girls surrounding them were staring at her, waiting for her to respond to Train's questions. The rage she felt before returned and she walked away from her hero, looking towards the ground as she stormed to the car that had Creed in it. Once there, she shot any remaining girls a deadly glare, which made them all rush off. She jumped in the car and slammed the door, not bothering to greet her brother. Creed turned around and tried to comfort her, but she kept ignoring him.

"Fantasy, look at my hand."

She looked at her brother's five fingers then smacked his hand away. "No. I'm not in the mood. I want to go to Tak's house."

Creed blinked at her. "Fantasy, what happened?"

He looked out the back of the car and noticed Train had not followed her yet. His partner was kneeling on the ground, face strained as he stared off where Fantasy had run to. Creed was torn. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to go comfort his beloved, but he knew leaving Fantasy alone in this mood was a bad idea. Creed also knew if he went to Train, he would be furious at him for not staying with the girl.

Creed saw Train stand and slowly begin to make his way over, pushing away the red haired teen as she tried to comfort him.

He frowned and reached out to his sister again. "Fantasy… Talk to me. What happened?"

The girl looked out the window instead, crossing her arms against her chest and making sure her brother knew she was ignoring him. Eventually Train made it to the car and started it silently. Creed questioned him with his eyes, but his cat put up a hand to tell him they couldn't talk now.

Creed sighed and grabbed his cat's knee. He had a feeling what he was about to say would hurt him deeply. "She said she wants to go to Tak's house."

Train gripped the steering wheel tightly and Creed could tell his heart shattered when he said that, but he wasn't going to let it show for Fantasy's sake.

"Okay. Can you call Trish and let her know? She should be home."

Creed was surprised at how level Train was able to keep his voice. He nodded his head and did as he was told, putting the woman on speaker phone since he had been instructed to not put a phone near his ear for the rest of the day. When Trish questioned what was wrong, Creed explained how he also did not know, but he would call her again later.

The rest of the ride was silent and awkward. Creed kept glancing between his husband and his sister, hoping someone would say something. It wasn't until they got to Tak's house and she jumped out of the car without saying goodbye did Creed get something out of Train. He watched as his love held it together until she entered the house, then he rested his head on the steering wheel and cried.

Creed immediately comforted his beloved, wrapping his arms around him tightly. He pulled his cat against his chest and let Train fill his shirt with his salty tears.

"Shh, my love, it's okay." He pet Train's hair lovingly as he whispered softly into his ear. He saw Trish standing at the door, and he gestured for her to go inside with Fantasy.

Train took a deep breath and tried to speak. "She has no idea how much I care about her…"

Creed blinked. Of all the things he thought Train would say, that was the last thing he expected. "Of course she does, Love. How could she not?"

Train explained to him what happened and Creed felt a bit of anger at his sister. He was able to push it aside in favor of comforting his beloved, and also with the thought in his mind that he voiced to Train.

"She's just a kid, Love… A traumatized kid at that. I was just unstable at her age. She didn't mean it."

Train sighed deeply and leaned into his partner. "Sure sounded like she did…"

Creed smiled and kissed his head. "She's growing up, Train. She's going to go through mood swings soon and with her background, we don't know what it will look like."

Train laughed bitterly. "Well, I have a feeling I just saw a bit of what it'll be like… She didn't even let me explain to her what happened to you today."

Creed sighed. "It's okay, Love. I don't think she can handle that right now." He pulled Train's face up so they were looking at each other and caressed his cheek with his thumb. "We'll make it through this together. For now, let's leave her be. She just needs to cool down, my Love. Trust me."

Train took a shaky breath and nodded his head. Creed gave him a delicate kiss, then allowed Train to pull away and straighten up. As they drove home, Creed held his beloved's hand, squeezing every so often as a reminder that they would be okay.

* * *

Fantasy was lying on an air mattress on the floor in Tak's room, trying to read the same book she was reading this morning. It was difficult since she knew the book was from Creed, and all that did was remind her of what she said to Train a few hours ago.

She was wearing one of Tak's shirts. It was much too big for her small frame, but considering she had nothing else to change into, it would do for sleeping in. The girl checked her phone again and saw the only messages were from Saya. She had started ignoring her aunt since all she could focus on was whether or not Train or Creed would message her. They didn't and she couldn't help but feel both angry and guilty about it.

She put her phone aside and tried to focus on her book again. Fantasy both wanted and didn't want to talk to them. She wanted to apologize, but also wanted to be apologized to. There were so many emotions floating through her and in that moment she cured herself for being a Diskence. Creed told her many times to expect a whirlwind of emotions whenever she was upset and that was exactly what was happening.

Growling at knowing her brother was right, she threw her book across the room, just as Tak was walking in with two cups of hot chocolate for them. She didn't have her iron pills, so the Gotos were doing what they could to help compensate. They offered to go pick them up, but Fantasy refused to have anything to do with either of her adopters tonight. Even if it wasn't directly her dealing with them, she wouldn't have it. She wouldn't die without them, so she didn't see the point.

"Sorry…" She said quietly when Tak gave her a scared look.

He sighed and handed her a cup. "I really think you're being a bit too dramatic."

Fantasy rolled her eyes. "You just hate that I hurt your precious Train."

Tak shook his head. "Of course I'm not happy you hurt Train, but you're hurting yourself as well…"

"Pfft, sure I am…" Even she was surprised at her sarcastic tone of voice. She really was becoming a moody teen.

"Yes, you are. You love Creed and Train. I know it's killing you to be away from them the night before your birthday. I'm sure Train had something special planned for you tonight as well as tomorrow."

Tak covered his mouth when he said that, aware he had just confirmed the surprise for tomorrow. Fantasy rolled her eyes.

"Tak, I already knew about that. I'm a kid genius, remember?"

Her friend nodded and sighed in relief. "Either way… It's going to make tomorrow really awkward for everyone."

"I'm not going tomorrow."

Tak jumped at her matter-of-fact voice. "What?!"

She sat up and sipped her hot chocolate. "You heard me. I'm not going. Your parents can just call them and tell them to cancel it. I don't want to see them."

"Fantasy…" He spoke sadly, then sat on the mattress across from her, being careful neither of them spilled their drink from the movements his body created in the bed.

"No. I don't want to hear it. I'm not going and that's final." With that, she finished her drink in one gulp, put her cup on the floor and rolled over. "I'm going to sleep."

Tak watched her for a bit, then sighed deeply. "You really don't want to know what Train was trying to tell you?"

Her silence was his answer, and he frowned deeply. His parents had told him not to tell her what happened to them today, but he didn't care. Adults didn't always have the answer and she needed to know before she decided to hate them forever for no good reason.

"Fantasy… Creed was almost shot today."

Fantasy didn't move, but he saw her body tense up. He could even see her breathing start to pick up and he almost immediately regretted telling her, worrying she might have a panic attack.

She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at him. "Wh-what?"

Tak saw her calm down and continued explaining. "Creed was almost shot today by someone he got locked up a few years ago. If Train wasn't there, he might have died."

Fantasy turned around to look at him, her eyes telling him to continue.

Tak smirked inwardly at finally getting through to her and went on. "That's why they were late. They took Creed to the hospital to check his ears since the gun went off right next to his head and Train had to give a statement to the police."

Seeing her panic again, he gestured for her to calm down. The shooter is locked up again, don't worry. There were enough witnesses to what he did and videos all throughout the building that there was no need for an investigation."

That seemed to calm her down and she nodded. "That explains what those things in his ears were…"

"What?" Tak questioned.

"Nothing…" She felt the guilt twist in her gut and she didn't know what to do.

_I thought I had a bad day, and I didn't even think about what Train was going through._

Train loved her so much and what she now saw what she said to him was unacceptable. She had made all of the troubles from today about her. Yes, she had a breakdown this morning, but she knew how hard those were on Train as well. Not only that, he gave up half of his day for her and he didn't get a lot of days off. He and Creed were always working and she knew how much he was looking forward to being able to relax a little.

Then, he had to drive her to school and deal with unwanted advances from multiple people and even be stalked by a teenage girl. And the one thing he was looking forward to, lunch with Creed, apparently turned into her brother almost getting shot. He had to spend the rest of the day at the hospital and police station, two places he hated being most in the world after the life he had led.

_And to top it off, I tell him he doesn't care about me, which is the furthest thing from the truth._

She wanted to call them and say sorry, but there was also a part of her that wasn't ready yet. Despite her maturity, she was still a child. It was hard for her to get over such negative emotions so quickly. She needed time so her apology would sound sincere.

Fantasy smiled at her friend. "Thank you for telling me, Tak. You're a good friend."

He nodded happily, and blushed as he said his next words. "I heard Train was really heroic today. Just like when he saved my dad…"

Fantasy rolled her eyes. "You weren't even there when that happened. And weren't you like four? Even if you were there, there's no way you would remember it."

Tak scoffed at his friend. "I can imagine what it was like." He sighed blissfully and his face took on a wistful look. "His hair was probably blowing in the wind like a real superhero and his eyes must have looked at his enemies with a bright fury that made them run away in fear!"

The girl groaned and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to shut out her friend's gushing over Train. "Oh my God! Keep it in your head and leave me alone!"

However, she actually didn't mind hearing such nice things said about Train. It helped remind her of how awesome he really was.

She smiled as Tak continued speaking praises of Train, her eyes closing as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

" _Creed? Where are you?"_

_Fantasy stepped into a dark room which lit up slowly with each step she took. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to find Creed._

_Hearing no response, she tried again. "Brother? Are you here?"_

_She heard a woman's cackle and her heart skipped a beat. She recognized it immediately as her mother's. This made her want to find her brother even more, and she began to run in the direction she thought he was in._

" _Creed? Big Brother? Where are you?"_

_She heard a gunshot and fell to the ground, covering her head to protect herself. That woman's cackle echoed in the darkness again and Fantasy was beginning to get scared._

" _Train…? Are you here?"_

_No response and she leaned up on her hands. She felt a warm liquid pooling around her hands. Fantasy lifted them to see they were covered in blood. Another cackle, this one louder than the last as she heard another gunshot, followed by what sounded like a sword slicing through the air._

_She was getting more scared and she remembered who she always went to when she was scared._

" _Train! Where are you?!" She tried to stand up, but slipped on the blood that merged around her feet._

_No response other than that damned laugh and she curled into a ball._

" _Big King… I need you…"_

_A light suddenly appeared next to her. She looked over quickly and saw Creed's dead body lying on the floor. There was a bullet wound in his head and she screamed loudly, clutching at her silver locks, covering her hair in blood. She tried to reach her brother, but she couldn't move on the slippery liquid._

_As she crawled towards Creed, she saw another light flash on the other side of her. She turned slowly towards it, having a feeling she already knew what it was. She saw Train lying dead on the ground, several sword wounds creating holes in his body, releasing the life from his normally lively form._

_She felt her whole body go numb and she curled tighter into a ball. She called Train again, hoping he would move to protect her._

" _Train… Big King… Please come back…"_

_The girl looked back at her brother's dead body and called for him as well, but again was only met with the cackling of an evil woman._

Fantasy shot up quickly from her bed and screamed. She was breathing heavily and sweating aggressively. When she looked around the room she panicked, forgetting where she was for a minute. When she saw Tak sleeping soundly on his bed, she sighed and laid back down. She hadn't had nightmares that bad in a while, and she didn't need to question why they started up again.

She reached for her phone readily, then blinked when she saw there were several unread messages. The girl unlocked her phone quickly and saw Train and Creed had both sent her messages. She clicked them and felt like crying at what she read.

Creed's text was a picture of Train sleeping on her bed with a message attached to it.

" _I hope you're okay. I just wanted to remind you that Train does care."_

She clicked on the next text and saw it was another picture. This one was of a glass of milk Fantasy knew must have been warm. The message attached to this confirmed that theory.

" _You know how much I hate when you two drink warm milk before bed, but I'm doing it for you. I want you to know I care too."_

She choked back a sob then read Train's messages. They were shorter, but for some reason they struck more of a cord than her brother's messages did.

" _I miss you…"_

" _I love you."_

Fantasy felt a tear escape her control, then noticed the time Train had sent the last one. It was only thirty minutes ago, so maybe he was still awake. She called him immediately, hoping he would answer.

The phone barely rang once when Train answered it.

"Hello?! Fantasy?!"

She sobbed quietly, trying not to wake Tak when she asked Train a question.

"Can I come home, please?"

* * *

Train was there in ten minutes. She could tell by the state of him and how quickly he got there that he hadn't been able to sleep. It was three in the morning, but luckily the Gotos were understanding people and let Train in to get her. Fantasy made sure not to wake Tak as she left him room, but she left him a note telling him thank you for being the best friend ever.

When she saw Train, she hugged him tightly and apologized profusely. Of course Train told her she had nothing to apologize for, which only made her feel worse and she hugged him tighter. Her hero carried her to the car and even though she was beginning to get too big for that, she didn't care. At that moment, she wanted to feel like a little kid again.

Train brought her to the car and noticed Creed was in the driver seat this time. He no longer had cotton in his ears and she leaned out of Train's arms and into the window to give him a hug as well and say sorry. Creed responded the same way Train had and she cried again. She crawled through the window and onto her brother's lap which made the silver man laugh lightly. He gave her a big hug and kissed the top of her head gently.

Before she got too comfortable, Train got in the passenger seat and she crawled across the car to sit on his lap instead. She was instantly curled up on his lap and clinging to his shirt. She explained the dream she had and that Tak told her what happened. It was a relief they weren't mad at her friend for telling her and they told her to write down the dream in her journal later, but they were all pretty sure they knew why it happened. Now that she was going home with them, they trusted that she would be better.

When they got home, Fantasy was welcomed to the delicious smell of chocolate. Tak was right, they had something planned for her tonight as well. There was a large chocolate fondue fountain sitting on the kitchen table which they had obviously set up hours ago.

Seeing the shocked look on her face, Train smiled happily and set her down. "We wanted it to be ready for you in case you came home tonight. Sorry if the chocolate has gotten hard…"

She turned to Train and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Big King."

Train gave his partner one of the happiest looks Creed had ever seen and hugged her back tightly. "Anything for you, Little Queen."

Despite the early hour of the morning and the lack of sleep they all had, they stayed up a bit later to enjoy her special treat. It felt like she was a little girl again as she sat on Train's lap and fed him chocolate, laughing as he smeared it on her and Creed's face. Her brother wasn't too happy about the mess, but he also didn't care as long as they were together and having fun.

Fantasy moved over to Creed's lap and gave him a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay…"

He smiled brightly and squeezed her back. "Me, too, Sister."

When she made her way back over to Train, she felt herself beginning to fall asleep. She yawned viciously and buried her face into Train's shoulder, playing with his hair like she did when she was a kid.

"Can I sleep with you two tonight?"

She felt bad asking since she had already taken up so much of their time together, but she was worried she'd have another nightmare if she didn't.

Train looked at Creed who nodded and smiled. The cat squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Of course you can. We'll have a slumber party just like when you were a kid."

She looked up at him hopefully. "With marshmallows and everything?"

Train flicked her forehead. "Of course! What kind of sleep over would it be without them?"

Creed sighed, but they could hear him giggle a little behind the motion. "Haven't you two had enough sweets? Besides, I don't even know if we have any left after this feast."

The golden man waved his words away. "I have a spare packed away just in case Fantasy ever wanted a slumber party again."

As the girl looked up at her King, she couldn't help but think how wrong she was before for ever thinking he didn't care or would abandon her. She squeezed him tightly and nuzzled closer to his chest.

Train carried her to their room and placed her in the bed. She curled up next to him, then felt Creed joining them and shoving a marshmallow in her mouth. Fantasy giggled like a little kid as she watched Creed feed Train a handful, the cat making a weird face and trying to kiss her behind the mouthful of food.

After a while, she saw Train had fallen asleep and smiled peacefully. Thinking of her dream again, Fantasy turned to her brother to see if he was still awake. He was, so she decided to ask him a question.

"Creed, do you know what happened to Mother?"

Creed blinked at her in confusion, wanting to question why she was asking him that now, then smiled sadly when he realized the reason. "Are you sure you want to know?"

She nodded her head, so Creed took a deep breath and ran his index finger through her hair. "I heard from a friend who's a social worker that she checked into a halfway house about five years ago. She was getting help."

Fantasy nodded. "That's good, right?"

"It was… But a few years ago she relapsed… Pretty hard."

He stopped, trying to think of what he could say to make her understand. She was a smart girl, but this was a hard topic to discuss for anyone. After pondering a few seconds, he decided blunt honesty was the best way to go with his sister.

"She's dying, Fantasy. After years of abusing her body with different drugs and alcohol she isn't going to live much longer. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't know how you would react. But… Now that I think about that, it wasn't fair."

Seeing her confused look, Creed tried to explain. "I had my chance to make peace with her when we found you. However, I may have taken that away from you by keeping her physical state a secret. And I'm sorry."

Fantasy thought about what he said, remaining silent as Creed held his breath, worried she might be mad at him.

"Fantasy, if you want to say anything to her, you need to let me know. You won't have much longer to do so."

She was still silent, then looked at him curiously. "Can I think about it?"

Creed nodded and ran his fingers through her hair again. "Of course. I just wanted to tell you she isn't doing well. I don't mean to rush you."

She smiled. "I don't feel rushed. I don't even know if I want to see her. I just need to think."

Fantasy leaned forward and kissed her brother on the forehead, then turned back over to cuddle Train. She loved her brother, but she always cuddled Train during their little slumber parties and he was much warmer than Creed anyway.

She felt Creed move closer to both of them and wrap his arm around their sleeping forms. After a few minutes, they were all asleep together, not aware the sun had actually begun to rise.

* * *

Creed was the first one to wake up the next morning which was an incredibly difficult task. He had gotten a very small amount of sleep, and seeing his sister and his husband sleeping peacefully was almost enough to make him reschedule his meeting again.

The lawyer frowned and kissed them again, fighting to urge to curl back under the covers. He had to cancel a meeting yesterday and he couldn't reschedule. He prided himself in never missing an appointment. Yesterday was the first time in ten years he had to miss one and he wouldn't let it happen again. No matter how tempting his snuggled family looked.

Sighing sadly and caressing Train's hair and Fantasy's cheek one more time, Creed left and closed the door quietly after them. Not only did he have an early Saturday morning meeting, but he had only slept about three hours. After that, he and Train had to meet to get things ready for Fantasy's birthday. Creed wasn't dumb, he knew his sister knew about the celebration and he was pretty sure Train had the same understanding. At this point, it was just a party, but still important nonetheless.

He sighed loudly as he set the table for Fantasy and Train, then walked back into the kitchen. Despite how tired he was, he didn't want them to have to fend for themselves, especially on his sister's birthday. This was supposed to be a special breakfast he had planned for the girl, but unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to enjoy it with them.

"Creed? Why are you up so early?"

Creed turned around to see his beloved leaning sleepily against the entrance to the kitchen. The lawyer smiled and flipped the pancakes he was cooking.

"I'm making breakfast. What does it look like?"

Train tried to roll his eyes, but he ended up yawning instead. "It looks like you've gone insane and have decided to stay awake despite the night we had and the day we're going to have."

Creed fought back a yawn himself so his beloved wouldn't worry. "You know I had to reschedule a meeting yesterday. And you know who it was for."

Train sighed and nodded. He was meeting with a woman who was fighting for custody of her children, but her ex-husband had run off with their son. It hit home for both of them. Not only did one of their now good friends, Skylar, have a similar situation, but anything to do with kids was personal for them. They couldn't imagine what it was like to not know where your kid was.

"Have you had any luck in tracking him down?"

Train shook his head, then yawned again. He was searching for the ex-husband, but had no luck so far. However, he felt like he was getting closer and had hopes he would be able to find him soon.

The cat took a step forward and grabbed a handful of chocolate chips Creed had set next to the stove. "I'm getting closer, though. I think he's back in town."

"Really?" Creed's voice was excited, but it was a difficult feeling to hold onto with how tired he was.

Train nodded and went for another scoop of chocolate, but Creed smacked his hand with the spatula. The golden man pouted and held his hand, then moved closer to Creed so he could hug him from the side and lean his head against his shoulder.

"I'll find him, Creed. Don't worry."

Creed leaned his head against Train's and smiled, keeping his eyes on his cooking. "I know you will, Love…" He watched as Train tried to get another handful for chocolate and smacked him again. "What are you doing up anyway?"

"I heard you get up and wanted to make sure you were okay."

Creed chuckled. "Since when does anything wake you up?"

Train frowned and embraced his partner again. "Since my husband decided it was a good idea to leave bed."

Creed leaned into Train's hug and flipped another pancake. "It's not any earlier than we would normally wake up. The problem is the time we went to sleep."

Train nodded in agreement, then smiled when he realized what else today was. He pulled Creed away from the stove and against his chest. The silver man barely had a chance to respond before his beloved was ravishing his face. Creed wrapped his arms around Train's neck and returned the kiss eagerly, sighing splendidly as he leaned into his love's strong body.

The golden man stopped and smiled at his partner. "Happy anniversary, Creed."

Creed swooned at his beloved's tone of voice. It was so sweet and loving he felt like his heart was going to explode with joy. "Happy anniversary, Love."

They locked their lips again, but a knock at the door that made them both jump. Creed sighed as Train walked away to answer it. "Did you really have to call him?"

Train waved his partner's sadness away as he walked towards the door. "Yes. After what happened yesterday, you need the extra protection. He wasn't doing anything anyway."

Creed frowned at his cooking and pulled another plate out for the man at the door. "He's locked up now, Train. I don't need a babysitter."

After yesterday's scare, Train insisted Creed had protection for the next couple of days, but he didn't have the time to follow him around right now. In the meantime, his cat had called Baldor to protect him. Creed wanted to laugh at the irony of his old bully providing him protection, but he really didn't feel like it was necessary. They had security at his office, yesterday was just a fluke.

Creed heard Train greet Baldor as the large man entered the room, having to duck a little through their doorway. He often had to duck to get through doors, but now that he had broadened himself for his career choice, the image of Baldor getting into various rooms and buildings was quite amusing.

Creed waved in the air at the man, but did not turn around as he said hello. "Morning, Baldor. Are you hungry?"

He waved away a plate of food Creed offered to him. "I don't eat when I'm on the job."

Creed rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't consider this a job. You're a friend who's watching my back for the day."

Train glared at his husband. "No. You're a job. He's protecting you today. Get over it."

Baldor laughed at their bickering and sighed when he noticed Creed put the food in front of him anyway. He wanted to turn it away, but it was too tempting to resist. Despite himself he dug in, thanking Creed as the man returned to the kitchen to finish what he was doing.

"You guys are so loud…"

All eyes fell on a sleepy Fantasy who had emerged from their room. Train was on her quickly, lifting her in the air and spinning her wildly in excitement. "Happy birthday, Lil' Queen!"

She smiled brightly at Train's enthusiasm, but clung to him tightly when she realized how tired she still was and the spinning wasn't helping. "Ah! Put me down, Train!"

He obeyed, but gave her another big hug before letting Creed come over and wish her one as well. She embraced her brother then sniffed the air.

"What's that?"

Creed smirked and let her go. "Chocolate chip pancakes."

She felt her mouth water and smiled heavenly. "My favorite!"

"And now that you're awake, you can enjoy them while they're fresh." As much as he wanted them to sleep a little longer, he was happy that he could enjoy his sister's birthday breakfast with her.

Fantasy made her way to the table with Train and greeted Baldor who also wished her a happy birthday. She hadn't really been caring much about this day, but after last night and seeing how her adopters were already making such a fuss over her, she couldn't help but feel happy. She was still exhausted, but for now she wanted to enjoy the company of her family.

When they were finished, the girl yawned roughly and leaned her head against the table. Train saw how tired she still was and looked at Creed sadly.

The silver man smiled and took their plates, kissing his forehead before stepping away. "Put her back to bed. We have a long day ahead of us and we can't have her falling asleep during it."

Train then glanced at Baldor who sneered a little. "Don't give me that look, Cat. Your husband will be fine."

Train narrowed his eyes. "He better be, Moose. Otherwise our next bout won't be so friendly."

They had started training with each other. Their jobs were fairly similar and they had almost completely opposite fight styles, so it was worthwhile for both of them to train against each other. Train was fast, slippery, and agile while Baldor was strong, offensive, and forceful. They complimented each other well and had improved their skills greatly over the years thanks to their comradery.

Baldor smirked and slapped him on the back. "Last time was a fluke. I'll get you next time."

Creed sighed as he gathered his things. "Can you two continue this testosterone contest another time? We need to leave."

Train stood and gave Creed a strong hug and a long kiss. When he pulled away, he frowned and eyed his husband worriedly. Creed rolled his eyes and gave his beloved another kiss.

"I'll be fine, Love. Stop worrying."

Glancing once more at Baldor, the man gave him a reassuring nod which was enough to comfort him. He hugged Creed again then picked up Fantasy to bring her back to bed. Hearing the front door shut, Train frowned when he realized he didn't tell Creed he loved him before they left.

Setting Fantasy down in her bed, Train ran to the front door and down the hall to catch up to them. Creed and Baldor looked surprised to see him again, and Train wrapped his arms about Creed's waist and kissed him deeply. Though the lawyer was confused, he never missed a chance to kiss his cat and returned the motion instantly.

Train pulled away and smirked. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you I love you."

Creed laughed and hugged Train tightly. "I love you too, Train."

The cat watched them continue walking down the hallway and went back to their apartment only after he couldn't see them anymore. Before stepping into the elevator, Creed turned to his beloved and blew him a kiss which Train caught dramatically, pretending to almost lose it and enjoying the laugh that elicited from the silver man.

Once they were gone, Train entered their apartment again, stopping by Fantasy's room and watching her sleep. He stood there for about a minute, then walked away.

"Train?"

The voice made him turn around and Train entered her room, kneeling next to her bed and rubbing her forehead fondly. "Yes, Birthday Queen?"

She smiled. "Can you lay with me?"

Train smiled and crawled in next to her, wrapping her tight in his arms as she sighed gleefully. Before he fell asleep, the cat made sure to set an alarm for a few hours from now. While he wanted to sleep all day, there was a lot he needed to do before the party started.

* * *

"I told you to go to sleep!"

Train was trying to leave to pick up a few things for the party that would be happening in a few hours and Creed kept leaving bed to try and help. The cat told his husband a million times he could handle it and he needed to sleep. He had gotten a nice nap in and felt ready to go for the day. Fantasy was still sleeping, and whenever they tried to wake her she said it was her birthday and this is what she wanted to do with it. That worked out for them setting everything up, so they didn't argue.

Creed stumbled as he entered the common room and tried to put his shoes on to join his beloved. "No. I'm fine really."

Train stood at the door, holding the handle as he watched his partner try to put on one of Fantasy's shoes. He laughed and walked over to the man.

"Really? Because you're trying to put on a teenage girl's shoe right now."

Creed blinked and looked down at his foot. "Is that why I can't get my foot in?"

Train rolled his eyes and stood in front of his husband who looked up from the couch at him. "Go to bed."

Creed pouted at him and tried to argue, but Train didn't give him a chance as he picked him up bridal style and carried him to their room. "Shut up and go to sleep."

The silver man wanted to protest more, but as soon as he was in Train's strong arms and felt his warmth against his body, he knew he had lost the fight. He leaned his head against his beloved's chest and felt himself starting to fall asleep before he even hit the bed. When Train made a move to leave, Creed grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

"I love you, Train…"

Train blinked. "I love you, too. But I'll love you more if you sleep."

Creed smiled at his cat, eyes half open as he tried to focus on her golden eyes. He reached out and caressed his cheek. "You're so beautiful…"

Train sighed and patted his hand. "Thank you, Creed. But now is not the time to obsess."

"It's always the time when it's with you…"

Train frowned. "What?"

Creed giggled and pulled Train closer to kiss him. He missed the golden man's lips and got his nose instead, which made Train laugh and push him back onto the bed.

"I think you're getting delirious from sleep. I hope this isn't what you were like at your meeting."

Creed made a happy sound as Train tucked him in. "The meeting was like a fish in water."

Train stopped what he was doing and stared at his partner in confusion. "What?"

Creed giggled and reached for his cat again. "It went swimmingly…"

Train laughed a little at that. "Okay, that was kind of clever, but you need to sleep now."

"No." Creed grabbed his wrist before he walked away and pulled him onto the bed. "You need to make love to me."

The cat sputtered as Creed tried to plant lazy kisses on him, then pinned him to the bed. Seeing that only made Creed want more, Train sighed and kissed him deeply. When he felt Creed's hands beginning to explore his body, Train pulled back and grabbed his eager husband's hands.

Train pressed his forehead against Creed's and spoke in a soothing voice. "Later, Creed. I don't think you'll even be able to feel it right now."

Creed's eyes were closed, beginning to fall asleep but he managed to shake his head and frown. "But I want you so bad…"

The cat smiled and kissed Creed's head tenderly. "I know, Creed. Like I said later. I promise."

That will wasn't good enough and Creed stopped him from leaving again. "You promised before and we still haven't."

Train sighed. "It's been crazy, Creed. You know that." His partner was still not happy, so the golden man kissed him deeply again, allowing it to last a little longer and letting Creed explore his body once more.

After a few minutes of making out with Creed, he could feel his partner beginning to relax and slow his hands against him. Once the lawyer's hand fell back to the bed and his mouth stopped its movements against his, Train pulled back and smiled victoriously. He ran his fingers through Creed's hair and smiled fondly.

"I promise I'll make it up to you."

One of the stops on his list was to pick up a gift for his husband, but in order to do that he needed to leave. Train tucked Creed in and gave him another kiss before leaving the room quietly. He popped his head into Fantasy's room to see she was still sleeping as well. The cat smiled and closed her door, then rushed out of the apartment quickly.

It was times like this he was happy he had his license and a car. He didn't have to wait for buses or trains anymore which made timing events easier. The first stop he had to make were decorations for the party. That was easy since they were keeping it simple.

Next, he needed to pick up her present which was actually a small part of Creed's present as well. It wasn't the only thing he was getting for his husband, but it was part of it and he knew the lawyer would love it. After that, he needed to pick up the food. This included the cake and various chocolates Creed had put in an order for. However, by the time he pulled up to the bakery, he was beginning to wonder if he had the room for everything.

Train walked back to his car with an armful of desserts. He cursed Creed silently in his head for ordering so much. It wasn't like they had a large group of friends that ate non-stop.

_Well, there is me, I guess. I could probably eat all of this by myself._

He apologized to his husband in his head, now understanding the poor guy probably had to always over prepare the amount of food he made for his sake.

_And considering how little he eats, that's probably difficult for him._

He rested several items on top of his car so he could reach the door and once he finally got everything in, he turned back around to re-enter the bakery to get the cake. As he walked back, someone bumped him from behind. Train turned to see a man who was staring at his phone, obviously angry about something and not paying to anything around them.

The cat was going to ignore it, but then he got a closer look at the man. There was something about him that seemed familiar to Train. His gut was telling him to follow him, but at a distance. The man turned around, feeling someone was following him and Train leapt to the side and down a small alley so he wouldn't be caught. It didn't seem like the guy noticed him, since he kept walking.

Once more, Train trailed him. When he turned around, the cat recognized where he knew him from. He smirked and thanked the gods of luck for helping him today. This was the man Creed had asked him to find. The ex-husband who ran off with one of Creed's client's son. However, he frowned when he realized the kid wasn't with him.

_Whatever. I'm not going to question the luck I just ran into._

There was also a bit of pride he felt with himself along with that luck he knew he was blessed with. He knew the man had come back to town and that it was only a matter of time before he ran into him.

_And now, it's just a matter of getting him._

Train had run into him before, but he ran away before the cat even had a chance to react. Once again, Train thanked the gods of luck for the man not recognizing him when he bumped into him just now.

The man glanced back at him again, but Train was able to duck behind a tree before he saw him. The cat could tell he was starting to get suspicious, so he knew he needed to make a move soon. Creed had given him the go ahead to bring him in with whatever force he deemed necessary which made this more fun. There was a child's safety at stake, so he wasn't going to hold back.

Train stayed where he was for a moment and waited for the man to keep walking. Once he was about half way down the block, the golden man stepped out again and continued his slow chase. He looked ahead to see if there was anything he could use ahead to block his way, but there was nothing. They were also in public, so he wanted to avoid using his gun at all costs.

The one he always carried on him was small and not very good, but it got the job done. There was a particular one he had his eye on for a while, but hadn't had the chance to really invest in it. It was the perfect size and caliber for what he needed it for, which made him want it more.

The cat shook his head to focus on the task at hand. He noticed the man had started to pick up the pace, so Train did as well. It seemed like he was growing more and more suspicious by the second. When he turned around again, Train managed to jump behind a car, but seeing he didn't stop walking, Train knew that might have been a bad call on his part. He learned after chasing him the first time he was pretty fast.

_It's pretty impressive if you can run from me. Maybe I should ask him to be a parkour buddy?_

Train quietly leapt out from his spot and walked a bit faster to catch up. As they walked further into the city, the amount of pedestrians on the streets began to pick up. He was starting to worry about making a scene so he decided now was the best time to make a move.

The cat slipped between a young couple, apologizing quietly as he passed them, then spun around another family which earned him a scowl from the father. He finally made it next to the man and he grabbed his shoulder in a friendly manner, but strong enough that he couldn't just slip away.

"Hey there! Remember me?"

The man cursed loudly and shoved Train off of him and into a group of friends who had been walking down the street. One of them caught him while the rest asked if he was okay, but Train ignored them in favor of seeing where his sweep had run off to. Seeing he was running full speed, Train smirked.

"Oh, he's running!" He looked at the group who were giving him a confused look and snickered. "I love it when they run."

He pushed himself out of the arms of whoever was holding him and ran top speed to catch up. His prey looked back and cursed again, seeing Train was already catching up. He tried to slow him down by knocking over some trash cans which the cat was easily able to jump over, not breaking speed at all.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Eiko!"

Eiko snarled back at him then made a sharp left, knocking several people over as he slid on the sidewalk aggressively. Train jumped over the people who had fallen, then grabbed another woman he almost ran into, but he managed to spin her around so she wouldn't fall. He didn't break stride as he slid on his hands and feet, body close to the sidewalk so he could avoid some men who were carrying a large plate of glass into a business.

Train turned around and frowned at them. "Oh, come on! That's so cliche!"

Eiko ran across a street, nearly getting hit by a car as he smacked the hood with his hand, yelling at the driver while he ran off. Train slid across one car then flipped over another, his hands landing lightly on the hood as his feet delicately met the pavement. He gripped a poll tightly to spin himself around when he noticed Eiko had made a sudden turn down a street.

His sweep turned around again and Train could tell he was shocked at the cat's ability to keep up with him with such ease and in such a flamboyant way. Train gave him a cheeky smile then leapt over a stand of fruit Eiko had knocked over.

"Seriously?! A fruits stand **and** a trash can?! This is the least original chase I have ever been a part of!"

Eiko slipped down an alley and Train followed quickly after him. He was hoping it was a dead end, but saw a fence at the other end. Eiko climbed it a little clumsily, but was able to make it over okay. However, when he fell on the other end, Train had time to catch up. And fences were his forte.

Train leapt high in the air, grabbed as far up on the fence as he could, using one foot to push his body up as his other hand reached for the top of the fence with no problem. With a swift push, he was able to swing his legs around the fence and fall quickly to the ground. Unfortunately for Eiko, Train had pushed himself forward when he jumped the fence and managed to land on top of him.

Eiko yelled loudly as the full weight on another man landed square on his back. Before he could do anything, Train pinned his head to the pavement and his arm behind his back. The cat dug his knee into his shoulders and smirked proudly.

"I win!"

The man struggled harshly, trying to swipe at Train with his other arm. "Get the hell off me, bastard!"

Train tightened his grip and laughed. "Not a chance! I've been looking for you everywhere and if my husband found out I just let you go, I may as well spend the night in this alley."

After what happened at Creed's office, Train decided to carry some zip ties with him for cases like this. He tied Eiko's hands and feet up, then pulled him up so he was standing. As he ushered him out of the alley, he knew he needed to ask about his son.

"Where's the kid?"

Eiko didn't answer. Instead, he spat at Train's feet and shouted several unflattering words at him. Train frowned and looked at his shoes.

"No cool, dude. These are my running shoes."

He tightened his hold on the man, then heard some movement in the trash cans next to him. Train gasped when he saw a small boy crawling out from behind them, not sure what to do when he looked at him curiously.

"What are you doing with my daddy?"

Train turned to his prisoner. "You've been keeping him **here**?!"

This hit Train hard. He had flashbacks of when they found Fantasy, seeing her sad green eyes look at him, her pale skin caked with dirt and her clothes hanging off her body. This boy looked a bit better off at least. He wasn't as dirty and his clothes fit him which meant they may have only been here for a little since they had probably just come back to town.

Still, it was enough to make Train's blood boil. Feeling the man struggling against his bonds, Train decided to punch him in the back of the head, making sure to hit a spot he knew would knock him out with a strong blow, but not severely hurt him.

Once he was out cold, Train allowed him to fall to the ground, not caring about setting him down nicely and turned to the boy. "Are you Jason?"

The boy nodded, then backed away a bit. "Mommy says not to talk to strangers…"

Train smiled, hoping it was enough to gain the boy's trust. "Do you want to see your mommy?"

He stared at Train, then nodded his head. "I miss Mommy…"

The golden man lugged the boy's father onto his shoulder then offered his other hand to the child. "Come with me. I'll bring you right to her."

Creed was fast asleep when he got the call, but hearing the news he woke up immediately. His beloved had managed to find Eiko, which meant his case was going to be open and shut at this point. The better part was he found the boy as well. While it broke Creed's heart to hear how similar the situation had been to his sister's, it was overshadowed by the joy of knowing she was safe with his mother again.

The call had come from Lin who was explaining to him Train had made his statement and had left a while ago.

"Really, Creed, it was quite a remarkable story to hear. I can see why you're so obsessed with him."

Creed growled in frustration. "Keep it in your pants. You know he's spoken for. You walked in on it the other day."

He heard the other man sigh blissfully. "Yeah… That was fun to listen to…"

"You're perverted, Lin."

Before his second in command could make more inappropriate comments, Creed hung up the phone and checked his messages. He laughed cheerfully when he saw Train had sent him a selfie of himself with a disgruntled looking Eiko. Creed next saw Train's message that was of a picture with a car full of stuff for Fantasy's birthday, questioning where he was going to put Eiko. The next was of Train dropping him in the trunk, then another of him trying to tie him to the roof.

Finally, he had apparently settled on squeezing him on the floor of the back seat, his son being small enough to squeeze in the passenger seat. He even sent a picture of the boy eating a piece of chocolate and Train asking for forgiveness for letting the boy have some of Fantasy's food.

Creed smiled and returned his love's messages with a variety of hearts he had at his disposal. He then sent a rather raunchy message since the need to ravage his beloved had become uncontrollable at this point. He knew they still needed to wait, since the party would be starting soon.

The silver man heard the front door open and leapt out of bed and from his room. He knew it was Train, and he needed to get some of his urges out while he could.

As Train walked in the room, his arm filled with far too many boxes, Creed waited impatiently for his beloved to set them down. As soon as he did, Creed shoved him against the wall and devoured his face.

Train had not been expecting such a warm welcome and didn't know what to do at first. He tried to push his partner away so he could get the rest of the stuff from the car, but found it was almost impossible to do.

Deciding he may as well enjoy the embrace, Train wrapped his arms around Creed's waist and kissed him in return. Feeling his cat kiss him back, Creed lost even more control and allowed his hands to travel all around his beloved's body. When Creed pulled away to attack his love's neck, Train caught his breath and laughed.

"Man, I should carry in boxes more often."

"Shut up, you know what you did."

Creed lowered his hands to Train's pants, forgetting himself as he began to undo them. Train gasped and grabbed his wrists, pulling them up before his husband got too ahead of himself.

"Creed, later."

The lawyer frowned. "You said that earlier. It's later now."

Creed pressed himself yearningly against Train and bit his neck sensually. The cat swallowed back a moan and had to adjust his lower body so it wasn't against Creed's, knowing he was reacting to his partner's touches despite his brain telling him not to. He felt the silver man massage between his legs lustfully and Train pulled Creed's body closer subconsciously. Creed sucked on his neck which Train couldn't help but moan from, gasping as his husband continued rubbing between his legs.

Train was able to regain control of himself and pushed Creed off, giving him a serious look. "Later."

The silver man sighed, but nodded. He knew now wasn't the time. Most of the day was gone at this point, so they needed to set up before people arrived. Chances were Eve and Sven were already on their way with their twins. They were always on time and since they offered to help set up, Creed knew they would be here any minute.

Wanting just one more taste of his cat, Creed kissed him again, which Train was happy to return. They were interrupted by another knock on the door which made Creed growl and push away from his beloved.

"So man damn interruptions. I'm about to explode…"

Train laughed and patted his cheek, then went to answer the door. Creed had just enough time to situate himself before his beloved opened the door for their friends.

The first people to burst through were the twins. They weren't identical, one being a boy and the other a girl, but they both definitely took after Sven and Eve. They were about five years old so they still had a lot of energy. Well, their son did at least.

Train braced himself for impact as their son, Evan, entered first. Train was Evan's favorite playmate since the cat didn't mind making a fool of himself for the boy. He always had a way with kids, especially kids as excitable as him. Eve and Sven loved letting Train have him for the day, because he was able to wear him out. He had green hair like his father, but pink eyes like his mother. He also enjoyed carrying around a small briefcase like his father, which held all his toys.

"Train!" Evan yelled as he leapt at Train, the golden man catching him swiftly.

"Monster Man! How are you?" He threw the boy in the air a few times and stepped aside so his parents could enter.

His sister, Sophia, entered in after him. Evan definitely had a lot more energy than her since she took after her mother more. She was pretty much a mini Eve. Train always remarked how it was like being thrown back to their childhood, since she was also reserved and very intelligent like Eve. Also like her mother, she always had her face in a book, and now was no different. While her brother jumped at Train, Sophia walked in quietly and approached Creed. Evan was more attached to Train, but Sophia was more attached to Creed.

Creed knelt to greet her and she smiled happily at the man. "Can I show you my new books?"

Creed smiled. "Of course. But can you show me later? I need to help Train carry in some stuff for Fantasy's birthday."

Sophia nodded in understanding, then gave the lawyer a hug which he returned. He greeted Eve and Sven before he left, making sure to take Train's keys from him just in case he locked the car.

As he walked down the hall, Sven handed a large box he was holding to Train and ran after his silver friend. "Wait, Creed let me help!"

Eve watched as her son giggled happily on Train's shoulders. "I swear, I don't know where he gets the energy from…"

She sighed as she escorted her daughter to the couch so she could sit and read. Sophia had the habit of being too involved in her book she walked into objects or tripped over items on the ground. Sitting was safer.

Train laughed, then put the box on their kitchen table. "You don't play with him enough."

Even rolled her eyes. "Sven plays with him all the time."

"Yeah, but it's not the same as my play. I get crazy!" He tickled Even as evidence and the boy let out a brillant laugh.

"Still doesn't make sense to me…" She walked into their kitchen and helped herself to a glass of water.

Train shrugged his shoulders. "It beats me too. You and Sven are so chill. If it wasn't for the green hair I'd say you stole him."

Evan's eyes widened and he looked down at Train. "I'm stolen?!"

Train put his finger to his lips. "Shh, it's a secret. They actually saved you from an evil witch."

Eve rolled her eyes, but smiled at their interaction. Then, she looked around the room. "Where's Fantasy?"

Train cursed in his head and put Evan down. "She's still asleep. Or at least I hope she is after all that noise."

He walked quietly to her door and peaked in, then sighed in relief when he saw she was still sleeping.

Eve looked at him confused. " **Still** sleeping? Why? I thought her friend Tak was going to distract her while we set up."

Train closed the door quietly and walked away. "He was, but we had a **long** night last night and none of us really got a lot of sleep. Creed and I were able to sneak a nap in, but she decided it was her birthday and she wanted to sleep."

Train made his way towards the door, ready to go downstairs and help Sven and Creed bring more stuff up. "Honestly, it's for the best. With her physical training, high school, college courses, and studying with Creed, I think she's earned a day of rest."

"NO REST! PLAY ONLY!"

The loud voice came from his best friend, Saya. Apparently, the woman and her wife, Lucia, had arrived just as Train was stepping out of the door. She tackled him to the ground and pinned his arm behind his back. Sophia grimaced at the noise and Evan laughed cheerfully as he jumped on both of them. He also loved Saya for the same reasons he loved Train. The boy called them the fun friends.

Train sputtered and turned around quickly, wrapping his hand around her mouth. "SHHHH! Fantasy is sleeping!" He looked at Eve from the ground. "Or is she?"

The blonde took the hint and went to check. When she closed the door she nodded.

Saya frowned at Train. "Oh, no! I'm sorry! I didn't know."

"It's fine, just get off!" Train whispered as he rolled back over and pushed his hand against the ground, lifting both Saya and Evan in the air.

Lucia moved to help her wife up and apologized on behalf of her fiery spouse. Now that she had a minute, she was able to greet the adults in the room.

Eve hugged Lucia, then Saya and addressed Train again before he left to help the other men bring stuff in. "Either she's still asleep, or she's pretending because she knows we're here to set up. Probably the latter. I don't know why you think she won't figure it out."

Train waved her words away. "It's the thought that counts, right?" He then looked at Saya and her lack of bags. "Where's the rest of your stuff? Aren't you spending the weekend?"

Saya nodded. "Yup. But we're going to my parents after the party."

Train nodded, remembering her parents had moved back a few years ago, but Saya decided to stay in the country with her wife. She had grown to like her new home and didn't want to leave.

When Eve and Train left to help their spouses bring up the rest of the party supplies, Fantasy tip toed over to her bedroom door. Eve was correct in her statement. She had been up for a while, but didn't want to ruin the 'surprise' her adopters were setting up for her. The girl peeked out and saw Saya and Lucia playing with the kids.

Once everyone was back, Fantasy closed the door quietly, but kept her ear pressed against it to hear what they were doing. She laughed whenever she heard Train tell everyone to be quiet and rolled her eyes.

_How could they possibly think I could sleep through this? They're so loud!_

There were also two small children there. Sophia was quiet, but Evan was not. It was ironic that Train kept telling everyone else to be quiet when he was the one making the most noise with the boy.

After a few more minutes, she heard more people arrived. She recognized the Gotos immediately, mostly because Tak yelled Train's name and launched himself at him. The gesture was not quiet at all and Fantasy rolled her eyes.

_Yeah, they're being real quiet._

Next, she could hear Skylar with her children who were about the same age as Tak and attended their school. Fantasy had also grown close with them, but not as close as she was to Tak. Then she heard Rinslet and Jenos and snickered when Train greeted them loudly then immediately told him to be quiet. They were the only couple Fantasy knew that wasn't married, but still just as in love. It seemed like marriage just wasn't something they were interested in.

After a few minutes, it seemed like that was the last of the guests. That made sense to her since these were all their closest friends. While Fantasy wouldn't have considered Skylar one of their closest friends, she had become closer to her adopters over the years and Fantasy was friends with her children. And since this was her birthday, it made sense to invite her friends. Really, Tak and Skylar's kids were her only friends. Train and Creed knew she didn't like big events, so she was grateful it was small.

She continued listening, waiting to hear someone come over to get her for the festivities. When she heard someone coming her way, she leapt back into her bed and pulled the covers up just before whoever it was entered.

Fantasy heard soft footsteps coming towards her, then the sweet, whispered voice of her older brother. As he shook her awake, she rolled over and yawned, trying to make herself look as tired as possible. She could immediately tell Creed wasn't buying it and frowned.

"I'm sorry, you guys are just so **loud** and it wasn't exactly like it was a secret anyway! You know Train can't hide anything. And Saya-"

Creed put up a hand to stop her. He smiled adoringly at her and caressed her cheek. "Thank you for pretending."

She smiled then took her brother's hand and allowed him to lead her outside. When she stepped into the common room, she was greeted with several different shouts. Some said happy birthday, other's said surprise, and Evan just screamed.

Train had Tak attached to one arm, but he used the other to facepalm. "We should have gone over what we were going to say."

Behind him was Jenos who snickered. "That's what happens when you let a cat plan a party."

Train shot him a look then detached Tak from his arm so he could give Fantasy a hug. Fantasy smiled brightly at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Big King."

While she hugged Train, she was able to look around to see the decorations that had been used. It seemed like they were going for a space theme. The banner looked handmade and she had a feeling Creed was behind that, being the only one creative and patient enough to paint a solar system with the words "Happy Birthday" on it.

There were also books displayed throughout the room. Some of them were Creed's others looked as though they were fake and merely just for decoration. There were streamers as well and the coffee table and kitchen table had purple table cloths on them since that was her favorite color. On top of the table cloths were little star confetti and yellow rose petals since yellow roses were her favorite. There were even two dozen yellow roses in two separate vases, one on each table.

Train pulled away and allowed her to greet everyone else. Tak was the first to embrace her and she thanked him again for helping her last night. Next she was tackled by Evan, then Sophia gave her a firm, but loving hug. Sven and Eve were able to squeeze in their welcome before Saya swept her in the air and spun her around, making it difficult for anyone else to greet her. Eventually she was put down and everyone else was able to say hi.

After getting her greetings out of the way, she then saw all the food displayed on their breakfast bar in the kitchen. There were piles of chocolate and a large cake in the shape of Saturn, which was her favorite planet. There were several other snack foods that were also her favorite along with more boxes of pizza than she thought was necessary.

The party began as soon as Fantasy grabbed a handful of chocolate and shoved it into her mouth. That was all the other kids needed as confirmation they could start eating as well. The first few hours were spent with adults catching up, kids playing and chatting and just generally everyone enjoying each other's company.

Soon people started handing her gifts one by one. She had a feeling Train and Creed told everyone not to make a big deal of it, since she didn't like being the center of attention. The party was enough for that.

Sven and Eve gave her several astronomy books, a subscription to a magazine, and more books Eve thought she would enjoy reading. Rinslet and Jenos' gift was similar, with the exception of the magazines. Skylar and her children gave her a puzzle of the milky way and some more books. The Gotos were different and got her a 3D display of their solar system.

Once Train and Creed could tell everyone had given her their gifts, they decided to give her gifts from people who were not there. Baldor and his wife sent a book she needed for an upcoming college course, Aimi sent a giftcard to her favorite restaurant, and Emma sent one to her favorite ice cream place. There was another gift from Oliver and William which was another box of chocolate which she ate immediately, even though she had just stuffed her face with an obscene amount.

Train explained to her they wanted to make it, but Aimi and Emma had moved pretty far away, Oliver and William were busy planning their wedding, and Baldor had another job to do. Fantasy didn't care since none of them had kids and it didn't really make sense to her for them to go to a kids' party. She was a little surprised to hear Oliver was getting married, knowing it had taken him many years to move on from Train. However, he did appear to really love and care for William, so she was happy for them.

"Now, we need to show you our gifts." Train grabbed her hand and led her to their bedroom, knowing she wouldn't want to make a big show of what they were giving her.

Creed followed in afterwards and closed the door behind him. He watched as his beloved dug in his drawers for his gift and smiled happily.

"Train, I'm going first."

His cat scowled at him and Creed winked then walked to their closet. He pulled out a large box that he didn't bother wrapping so Fantasy could see what it was right away. She gasped loudly and ran over to the box.

"A telescope?!"

Creed smirked and patted her head. "Yup! I already got the okay from the landlord to bring it to the roof to watch the stars. We can do that later tonight. It's already set up for us to end the party up there."

Fantasy jumped into her brother's arms and thanked him repeatedly. She had been hinting at wanting this for a long time now and was so happy to have finally got it.

"Alright right, my turn!" Train pulled her off Creed and gave her a piece of paper.

Fantasy frowned at it, then her eyes widened when she read what it said. "Really, Train?!"

He smirked. "Yes. This will work well with Creed's gift. The coordinates for your star are on the paper. We can watch it every night."

Fantasy could feel her eyes glistening with tears as she looked her hero in the eyes. She gave him a big hug. "Thank you, King."

"Anything for you, Queen."

Train held onto her and grabbed Creed to pull him closer. "I'm actually not done yet." He sat them on the bed and took a small box from his dresser drawer. "This one is kind of for all of us."

Fantasy glanced at Creed who shrugged his shoulders. Train kneeled on the floor in front of them. He opened the box and they frowned in confusion at what they saw.

"Chokers?" Fantasy said as she leaned forward.

Train's smirk never wavered. "Take the purple one."

She did and smiled at what she saw. Attached to it was the solar system with a crown on top of it. She turned it over and saw the words, 'The stars bow to my Little Queen.'.

Fantasy leapt into Train's arms and hugged him tightly. "I love it!" When she pulled away, she put it on immediately, then smiled at up a Creed.

Creed returned her smile, but then looked confused at Train.

His cat was still smiling, this time a little more intimately. "Take the black one."

Creed eyed him curiously, then picked it up. He gasped loudly when he saw what was attached to it. It was a silver dollar, which Creed knew was his beloved's pet name from him. He fingered it delicately, then looked at Train who was still smiling.

"The red one with the bell on it is for me. I know it may sound cheesy, but I thought this was a nice way for us to stay connected even when we're apart. Life has been busy, and I don't know about you guys, but I would love to know I have you both close wherever I am."

Creed fell into his arms and Fantasy followed suit. They embraced as a family for a minute, until Train pulled away and turned to Fantasy. "Lil' Queen, can you give Creed and me a minute? We'll be right out."

The teen nodded, dragged her telescope out to show her friends, gave them both one more hug then left.

Creed turned to his love curiously. "What is it, Love."

Train waited until the door was closed and turned back to Creed. "I know you probably wouldn't have recognized it, but do you remember when I gave you the nickname Silver Dollar?"

Creed smiled fondly at the memory. "Yes. You burst into class and held a silver dollar up to my hair and declared that was my new name."

Train smiled and pointed to the coin on his necklace. "That silver dollar right there? That's the same one."

Creed blinked at him then down at the coin. "What?!"

Train smiled lovingly at his husband, then caressed his cheek. "It's the same one. After I compared it to your hair, I kept it. At the time, it was as a joke so I could pull it out and make stupid puns whenever I wanted, but after a few years, it became something more. It became a symbol of the beginning of the rest of our lives together."

Creed felt a tear fall down his cheek. He held Train's hand against his cheek and smiled warmly. "Oh, Train…"

Train widened his smile and pulled his husband closer for a kiss. Creed happily returned the kiss, even deepened it as he wrapped his arms around his beloved's neck to pull him closer. Train wrapped his arms around Creed's waist and pulled him off the bed and onto his lap. The lawyer was more than ready to oblige as he landed lightly on his cat, pressing his body as close to Train as he could.

Before they could get too carried away, Train pulled away and ran his fingers through Creed's hair. "There's one more thing, hold on."

Creed frowned as his love gently pushed him off and dug under the bed. The next thing Train presented him with he recognized immediately. He gasped loudly and took it eagerly from him.

"Train, is this?!"

His cat nodded. "Yup! This is the one you've had your eye on for a while, right?"

Creed was holding a sword of Japanese origin. It was a beautiful steel that could be used to practice and for decoration. The handle was wrapped in a simple black leather and the blade was long and thin. Creed indeed had his eye on it for a while. He had been wanting something new to train with and was nice to look at.

Creed could feel himself getting emotional again and decided to prevent that by presenting his beloved with his gift. Train looked at him curious when Creed placed the sword on the bed and walked back over to the closet. The silver man could sense his skepticism and smiled sweetly.

"I got something for you too."

Creed pulled a box out from the closet and handed it to his beloved. Train took it and opened it quickly, eyes widening at what he saw. Inside was the gun he had his eye on for a while. One that he desperately wanted to replace the one he had. It rested on red silk fabric and Train could see his husband had taken a few liberties with the design.

Train knew it was originally plain black, but Creed had gotten it outlined gold trim and dangling from the back was a little black cat chain. What was more impressive of his partner's dedication to the gift was the fact Creed had etched in a roman numeral thirteen, signifying how long they had been together. They had been married for ten, but Train knew Creed liked to celebrate how long they had been in a relationship.

The cat looked up to thank Creed, but was stopped by his husband's lips against his own. Train was still sitting on the floor and Creed crawled back into his lap, pushing him back slightly so he could deepen the kiss quickly. The silver man ran both his hands through his love's hair and purred blissfully when he felt Train pull him closer by wrapping his arms around his waist.

Creed went a little further by pushing his cat to the floor and deepening the kiss even more. His hands began to wander around his beloved's body, enjoying the feel of Train squirming underneath him. Train slipped his hands up the back of Creed's shirt and trailed them up his back, feeling his husband sighed happily into their kiss and relishing the goosebumps he felt rise on Creed's skin.

Creed knew now wasn't the time, but he couldn't stop himself from escalating the kiss. He wanted Train so bad and after how romantic he had just been, he wanted him even more. Right now, he didn't care about the guests in the other room and allowed himself to fall into the warmth of his beloved. Feeling his love's tongue twirl around his own, Creed let out another moan and gripped at Train's hair slightly, desperate to taste more of his cat.

The silver man moved his hands to slide up Train's chest and caress his strong muscles earnestly and lost even more control when he felt his husband flinch and moan. Creed moved his kisses to Train's neck and sucked the smooth skin there, whining when he heard his cat gasp quietly, his body losing more and more control by the minute.

As things became more heated, a loud knock at the door brought them back to reality and Creed let out a quiet growl. He knew they needed to stop, but his body didn't care. He needed Train so badly at that moment.

"Get your clothes on, the kids are calling for cake!"

The voice came from a sarcastic Jenos who was laughing between his words. They heard him walk away immediately and locked eyes sadly, knowing they had to push pause yet again. Train frowned deeply at the passionate look in Creed's eyes and kissed him gently before sliding out from underneath him.

"To be continued?"

Creed whimpered loudly. "As usual…"

They set aside their gifts and left the room. Eve and Sven were already helping their kids up the stairs to the roof, knowing Train and Creed wanted everyone up there for their closeout of the party. Jenos was helping Fantasy carry her telescope up, and Rinslet helped Skylar get her kids up. Once they saw everyone was upstairs, the couple followed with the cake in tow. There was already a table and chairs up there, so all they needed was the dessert.

The sun had already set and Creed went to Fantasy to help her set up her gift while Train set the cake down and began to cut it for everyone. He already knew the teen wouldn't want everyone to sing to her, so he didn't bother. Once the telescope was set up and everyone had their cake, they took turns looking through the scope at the sky. Fantasy got the most time with it, which no one was going to argue.

After a few hours the younger kids were beginning to fall asleep. Sven and Eve had a long drive ahead of them, so they were the first to leave, but not before they gave Fantasy one more goodbye hug. Skylar left soon after that, leaving only the Gotos, Rinslet, and Jenos. The adults went downstairs to clean and saw Rinslet had already gotten started with that.

Once Rinslet and Jenos left, Train laid down on the couch to rest for a minute, not realizing he was going to fall asleep. Creed watched his cat sleeping longingly, and couldn't help himself from crawling on top of him, snuggling close as he fell asleep as well. Train woke up enough to kiss his partner and wrap his arms around him tightly, then immediately fell back asleep.

Fantasy smiled at her adopters as she helped the Gotos clean the rest of the apartment up. Before they left, she asked them a question, then wrote a note for her Train and Creed and left with her best friend and his parents. She smiled at Train and Creed one more time as she walked out the door, fingering her necklace fondly.

A few hours later Creed woke up and smiled peacefully at his love's sleeping face. He ran his fingers through Train's hair and sighed lovingly as he rested his chin on his cat's chest, gazing longingly at his closed eyes. Realizing how quiet it was, he looked up and saw everyone had left. Creed felt bad for not saying goodbye, but was happy to see everything had been cleaned up and all the food had been put away.

He turned his head to the coffee table next to them and noticed a note. It was folded in half with both he and Train's name on it. The lawyer reached over and read it quickly, smiling at what it said.

" _Thank you so much for being the best family I could ever ask for. I know today is more than just my birthday and I've been trying to figure out what to get you both for your anniversary. I couldn't think of anything to buy, but I think I know the perfect gift will be. I'm staying at the Goto's tonight so you can have some time alone. Don't worry, I'm not mad about anything._

_Enjoy! And happy anniversary._

_Love,_

_Fantasy (AKA Little Queen)"_

Creed smiled at the note and placed it back on the table. He looked over at his beloved and felt a warmth wash over him that had been building for the last ten days. Not wanting to waste another second Creed straddled Train's hips and attacked his husband's neck.

Train jolted awake and subconsciously wrapped his arms around Creed's back, blinking tiredly as the man on top of him ran his hands all over his chest and stomach. The cat lifted himself up a little and looked around the empty apartment.

"Where is everyone?" He wanted to make sure Creed hadn't forgotten himself again by enjoying his body when there were still people around.

"Gone." Creed said between his kisses and nibbles on his neck and shoulder.

Creed put a hand on one of Train's cheeks to hold his head in place while he sucked at the spot between his neck and shoulder tenderly. Train moaned and swallowed when he did that, then tried to stop his husband.

"Creed, stop. What about Fantasy?"

Creed smirked when his thumb reached Train's nipple and his beloved yelped quietly. "She's spending the night at the Goto's."

Train sat up straighter, pushing Creed up with him. "What?! Again?! What did we do wrong?!"

Creed rolled his eyes and pushed Train back down, continuing in actions against his cat's soft skin. "She's fine, Love. This is her anniversary gift to us. Time alone."

The silver man pulled away to see the look in Train's eyes. Creed smirked seductively as Train's golden orbs locked on to his with a lustful look. When his cat licked his lips, Creed lost complete control and attacked him once more, Train much more accepting of his advances now.

Train he ran his hands all over Creed's back and hair, devouring his husband's face hungrily, releasing the build up he had been feeling for what felt like months at this point. Creed moaned zealously and grabbed at the bottom of Train's shirt quickly, pulling it over his head as fast as he could, needing to see his beloved's glorious body.

He pushed Train back down and allowed his eyes to drink in his cat's chest and stomach. Creed felt himself drool a little as he licked his lips, tracing every inch of Train's skin with his fingers, reveling in the feel of his muscle. He could feel himself growing hard against Train's thigh as he trailed his fingers around his beloved's body, moaning longingly which made his husband laugh.

"I haven't even done anything yet, Creed."

Creed fell onto Train's stomach and bit him aggressively, earning a loud gasp from his partner as he licked and sucked at the skin tenderly.

"You don't have to do anything. Your mere presence is enough to set me off…"

Creed pulled back enough so he could take his over shirt off, then latched his lips onto his love's chest, sucked his nipple eagerly, not willing to control his desire any longer. Train gasped and moaned loudly, running his hands along Creed's back and hair passionately, pushing his body eagerly up into his partner.

Creed felt Train push into him and moved his hands to his beloved's pants and quickly undid them. As he pulled back to undo his own, Train slipped his hands underneath him and lifted him into the air, carrying him to the bedroom. Creed stopped what he was doing so he could hold on to Train, using this time to kiss his neck, his body on fire with desire for the man carrying him.

Train dropped Creed on the bed and slipped his pants off, helping Creed remove his as well until they were both fully unclothed. They locked their lips again as Train laid against his husband, moving his body excitedly against Creed's. The lawyer moaned loudly as Train pulled away and sucked on his neck avidly, using one hand to hold onto his beloved's hair eagerly, while his other slipped to Train's lower body.

As Train gyrated his lower body against Creed's, the silver man cried out noisily and gripped even tighter to his head that was still working on his neck. Train nibbled and sucked hungrily at his husband, pressing even further into Creed's body as he quickened his movements. When Creed's hands traveled to his lower body and squeezed roughly at his rear, Train yelped and pulled away, narrowing his eyes at his partner.

Creed smirked and kissed his love gently, then pushed Train's head back against his neck so he could keep doing what he was doing. The silver man moaned louder and felt his heart beating faster as Train increased his tempo against him. Creed pulled his chocolate locks earnestly and thrusted his body up into Train which made his cat groan in return as he bit harshly into his pale skin.

With one quick motion, Creed flipped Train over so he was on top and trailed his lips down his beloved's neck, chest, and stomach, slowing his kisses the closer he got to his pelvis. He heard his cat swallow thickly as Creed slid his hands up both his inner thighs and massaged the area closest to his member. Creed moved his kisses closer and closer, looking up at Train's blissful face, smiling seductively as his cat pleaded for him to continue.

Creed licked the side of Train's growing member and smiled salaciously at Train's shiver and loud cry. He repeated his motion on the other side, then teased the tip with his tongue. When he finally decided to stop torturing Train and took his mouth shaft in, the cat let out a grateful sigh and clutched his hair earnestly.

Creed bobbed his head up and down quickly, enjoying the flavor or his love's member in his mouth. He was twirling his tongue around his beloved's shaft insatiably, basking at the way Train throbbed in his mouth, hungry for more of his cat. He had been starved of him for far too long and he craved the zest of his cat dangerously. He moaned greedily with each of Train's gasps and pulls against his hair, relishing each twitch his beloved gave him.

"Oh, Creed…"

Hearing his cat say his name encouraged Creed to move faster, licking and sucking every inch of his beloved's member, feeling himself ready to burst just from the sounds and motions Train was making. Creed slipped his fingers underneath Train and inserted two into his entrance. His beloved gasped loudly at thrust up in his mouth, Creed not caring at all as he sucked hard and moved his fingers quickly in and out of Train.

Train's whole body was on fire as his husband attacked his lower body fiercely. He wanted to make love to the man so badly, but he didn't want to stop Creed from what he was doing. Creed's mouth and tongue were doing such amazing things to him and he could barely comprehend what he was feeling. As his partner poked and prodded at the soft spot inside of him, Train knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

Creed added a third finger and shoved them all three in, then wiggled them vigorously against his pleasurably spot. Train cried out loudly, knowing he wasn't going to be able to hold it in for much longer. He pulled his partner's silver locks and thrust his hips up, trying to keep it in but when Creed caressed the spot inside him again, Train knew he couldn't hold it anymore.

"Creed! I'm gonna-!" He shouted again, as his husband twirled his tongue around his member again and applied a forceful amount of pressure against the spot inside of him.

"AH!" He shouted again and dug his fingers further into Creed's hair. "Oh, God. CREED!"

It seemed that Creed had lost himself too much in consuming his cat since he wasn't paying attention to Train's warning and almost choked when his love exploded in his mouth. He swallowed everything immediately, licking the sides of Train's shaft one more time, making sure he got every bit of his beloved in his mouth.

Creed licked his lips and looked up at Train. His cat was panting heavily on the bed, his hands running through his hair as his eyes searched the room, as if he was trying to figure out the aftermath of the pleasure Creed had given him.

However, Creed wasn't done with his husband. His member was throbbing eagerly between his legs and Train still looked too delicious to turn away. As Train caught his breath and prepared himself for round two, Creed traced his kisses along his love's muscles again, caressing and massaging everywhere he could, making sure to turn the golden man on again.

Train felt himself sweating from the sensations Creed had just given to him, but when he felt his partner crawling back up his body, his lips touching every sensitive area on him, the cat knew he was going to be ready again in no time. When he felt Creed's hard member brush against him, he moaned and felt the heat rise in him again.

Train flipped him over and wrapped his lips around Creed's member. He had a feeling the silver man wasn't going to last long, since Creed was obviously ready to burst already. The lawyer shuttered with desire as Train's tongue licked his shaft, then gasped loudly when his cat spun it around his tip, sucking up all the precum that had escaped.

As soon as Train took him in his mouth, Creed had to bite his lip to stop himself from exploding instantly. He ran his fingers through his luscious chocolate locks and pushed his cat down further. Train obeyed and moved his head up and down quickly as Creed cried out his name.

"Oh, Train… I'm not going to last long…"

Train smirk from his position and pulled his mouth away, replacing it with his hand to keep his movements going as he looked up at his partner's glistening face.

"That'll just make the next part last longer…"

Creed nodded then guided Train's head back to his member. Train took it back in his mouth and moved rapidly against him, tightening his lips as much as he could, holding Creed's hips in place so he could move freely. Just as Train was about to insert his fingers into Creed, the lawyer exploded in his mouth, the cat consuming it eagerly.

Train crawled up next to his partner and to catch his breath and prepare for what was next. Creed rolled over and cuddled into his cat, running his finger down his love's arm, waiting for them both to calm their bodies before they excited them again. Train pulled Creed closer by wrapping his arms around his waist, then kissed him deeply. Creed could feel himself getting worked up again as Train's tongue entered his mouth and he moaned joyfully.

Train moved his hand to his husband's entrance and inserted a finger gingerly. When he heard Creed sigh blissfully, he inserted another and moved in and out, tickling his soft spot with each movement. Hearing his partner moan louder with each thrust, Train knew he was ready for the next level and inserted a third finger.

Creed bit Train's bottom lip and moved his hands so they could work at his beloved's shaft. He moved them back and forth, needing his cat to be inside him more than ever. As he felt Train get harder, he moved his hands faster, stopping only momentarily to grab the lube and properly prepare his cat to make love to him.

Train was moving his fingers faster and faster into his partner, moaning with desire as Creed greased him up, knowing what was coming next. He stabbed at his husband's pleasurable spot a few more times and allowed Creed to continue jerking him off a bit longer before rolling on his back and pulling Creed on top of him.

Train positioned himself so his back was against their headboard and pulled Creed with him. The silver man was already moving his lower body so it was hovering over his cat's and sat on his member slowly.

Creed pressed his forehead against Train's and looked into his golden eyes as he lowered himself. Train used his hand to guide his partner down, brushing his lips against Creed's as he fully entered his husbands. Their lips met for a passionate kiss, holding off their love making for just a minute longer so they could enjoy the taste of each other's mouths.

Finally, Train moved his hips up and Creed moaned lustfully. His cat repeated the motion and Creed pulled Train closer, wrapping his arms eagerly around his beloved, kissing him fervidly as Train moved his hips again. The golden man adjusted himself a little so he was aimed directly at Creed's pleasurable spot and moved his hips again. Hearing Creed gasp loudly, he knew he was on the right track and moved again and again.

Each of Creed's moans increased in volume and speed, matching Train's movements. He bit Train's bottom lip then moved his mouth to his beloved's neck, sucking harshly at his flesh, not caring if he left a mark. He felt Train's hands slide under his rear to bounce him up and down slowly, making sure to hit his pleasurable spot with each motion. When Train dropped Creed harshly onto his shaft and pound stronger into him, staying against the spot for a second so the silver man could absorb the full force of his thrust, Creed clawed at Train's back and threw his head back.

"OH, TRAIN!"

The cat smirked between his gasps and repeated that gesture again and again, savoring each of his partner's gasps and cries, shoving his member into him as hard and fast as he possibly could. When Creed said his name again, Train moved even faster, surprised at himself with how quick he was moving.

Creed put both of his hands on either side of Train's face, looking deeply into his eyes, kissing him between his gasps and cries. He knew both he and Train would cum soon and he wanted to see his love's face when that happened. Creed knew what Train looked like when he orgasmed, but he enjoyed seeing it every time.

"Train… Oh, God, TRAIN!"

Train cried out again when Creed said his name and moved faster, kissing his husband as he readied himself to burst inside his partner. He gripped at Creed's rear violently, almost breaking skin as he kept his motions going. The cat was really grateful they both came already since it made this last longer. He didn't want to end his love making with Creed, but feeling the heat boiling in his groin, he knew he wouldn't have a choice soon.

"Creed…" Train kissed him again and again, making sure he didn't stop his motions. "Oh Creed… It's been too long…"

Creed nodded and kissed his cat. "We can never wait that long again."

His beloved nodded and kissed him again, pulling him close with one hand while his other kept bouncing the lawyer on his lap, his tongue diving deep into Creed's mouth. Train pulled away only slightly so he could be allowed to shout out more and relished the feel of Creed's breath against him.

"Creed…" He said his husband's name over and over again, his voice matching the movements of his body.

Hearing his cat say his name over and over again, feeling his beloved hitting his spot with such passion and force, Creed could take no more. He exploded on his love's chest and stomach, then collapsed against him and their bed's backboard, making sure his forehead was still pressed against Train's so he could see his husband's face when he came.

Feeling his partner burst onto his chest, Train thrust in a few more times then exploded inside his partner. Creed gasped joyfully when he felt his love explode inside him, relishing the face Train made, loving how it felt and how he looked every time it happened.

They leaned against each other, catching their breath, kissing each other between breaths of air, holding each other lovingly. They remained like that for a while, until Train moved Creed off of him. The silver man reached out eagerly to his cat and Train complied, pulling Creed against his chest, kissing him before sighing as Creed settled in.

The silver ran his fingers up and down Train's back, kissing his chest and smiling peacefully. "I can't believe how badly I needed that…"

Train nodded. "Me too…"

A few minutes passed with them kissing and caressing gently, until those turned into more passion and lascivious gestures once more. Before they knew it, Creed was sitting back on Train's lap, kissing him lustfully as he moved his lower body against him again. Train moaned at the feel of his husband against him, sucking his neck eagerly as he pulled away to look in his yearning blue eyes.

"Round two?"

Creed smirked and nodded, pushing down harder into his cat, his body filling with warmth once again at the sound his cat made.

"Round two…"

* * *

After a long night of love making, Train and Creed allowed themselves to sleep in the next day. Fantasy wasn't going to be dropped off until the afternoon, so they tried to make the most of their time alone together. Creed was bouncing on Train's lap again, crying his name out pleasurably as his cat kept his hips stable with his hands.

"Oh, Train…" He said, knowing he was going to explode again soon, throwing his head back as he felt his beloved's gasp with each of his bounces.

"Creed…" The golden man was panting heavily, trying to hold in his excitement until Creed burst.

Creed moved faster up and down against his love, then leaned forward to see Train's face. When he heard his beloved's breath brush against his face, he exploded violently and cried out his name.

"TRAIN!"

Train moved Creed against him a few more times before finally cumming inside his partner.

"CREED!"

After exploding inside Creed again he collapsed on the bed, feeling full drained after their final session. Creed fell on top of him, feeling his love's heart beat heavily against him as he swallowed and took in a deep breath.

"How many times was that?" Creed asked, nuzzling his face deep into his love's shoulder.

Train laughed between breaths. "I don't know. Five? I lost count after three…"

They decided to get in as much love making as they could before they had to go back to the real world. They loved their lives and Fantasy, but they knew it kept them from having moments like this. At least it kept them from having as many moments like this. So, throughout the night they woke up and had another go at each other.

Creed took a deep breath and kissed Train's neck. "Do we have time for one more?"

Train grabbed his phone languidly to check the time and for any messages. He frowned. "No. They're on their way."

Creed sighed sadly, but nodded his head. He wanted to make love to his cat again, but at least now he had been able to get most of it out of his system and he knew he'd be satisfied enough to last until the next time they could lay like this. Creed knew he would never be fully done with his beloved, but now it wasn't an aching pain he couldn't control. His body had been fully apppeased five times, maybe more if they were counting wrong, so at least now he could relax instead of jumping his husband every time they were alone.

His ears perked when his phone went off. Creed grabbed it and read the message Fantasy sent him. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat at what she asked him. He took a deep breath and set it aside.

Train noticed his partner's distress and questioned him. "What's wrong?"

Creed looked at his cat and frowned. "Fantasy wants to see Mother…"

The cat sat up a little, pushing Creed off him and to the side as he did so. "What?"

The silver man nodded as Train laid next to him. "Yes. We talked about it last night. You know her current state. I gave Fantasy the option to make her peace with the woman before she died."

Train nodded and ran his fingers through his husband's hair. He and Creed had many talks about how he felt about his mother's dying state, but they never really discussed Fantasy's relationship with her. Train figured it didn't matter since she was so young when they took her, he didn't think the teen would care what happened to her mother. However, he knew he couldn't ever fully understand the situation, so it wasn't fair for him to make assumptions about how the girl felt.

The golden man moved his fingers so they were lightly tickling Creed's arm, trying to calm the man's growing stress. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

Creed sighed and cuddled against his beloved's chest. "I don't know… But I knew it wasn't fair to not give her the same chance I had." He traced Train's chest lovingly with his fingers, enjoying the small goosebumps his light touches gave his cat. "I was able to find peace after speaking to hear. I think she deserves the same luxury..."

After the years of torment the woman had put him through, that day he found Fantasy was the day he was able to finally put it all behind him. A few years after that, he found out Izo was involved in a prison riot that ended his life. When he heard that, he knew he could be fully at peace knowing the man would never be free to hurt him again.

Several more years later, they received news that Edo was going to be spending life in prison. After the case with Aimi, William, and Emma had been won, more victims came forward. The amount of people he harmed were staggering and his behavior in prison was not ideal. He had hurt multiple officers and inmates, which added even more years to his sentence. At a certain point, he reached a number that equaled life which forever locked another haunted door in both of their lives.

_Creed's right. We both got our peace after living such a hard life, it's only fair Fantasy has a chance to get hers. Maybe this will even help stop the nightmares._

Thinking about all this and feeling concern for his husband, Train wrapped his arms around Creed's back and pulled him close, caressing his skin delicately. He kissed the top of Creed's head, then rested his cheek against his silver locks, waiting for his husband to relax into him. Despite knowing this was the right thing to do for their girl, he knew this had to be hard on Creed.

"Are **you** going to be okay?"

Creed took a second to think about that. He pulled his face away from Train's chest to look into his eyes. As he gazed into those golden orbs that never failed to make his heart treble passionately, he smiled warmly and caressed his husband's cheek.

"As long as I have you, I'll always be fine."

* * *

Fantasy stood in front of hospital doors between Creed and Train, holding their hands tightly. When she got home, they left immediately to see her mother. They didn't know how much longer they had until she was gone for good and Fantasy wanted to get it out of the way.

She was frozen staring at the doors she knew held the room her mother was in. This was something she knew she had to do for her own peace of mind. Now that she was here, she realized how much harder it was than she previously thought.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

She looked over and saw her hero kneeling on the ground next to her. On her other side was her brother who was smiling down at her, squeezing her hand tightly. Fantasy took a deep breath and nodded her head.

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure."

They stepped into the room and saw the pale, silver haired woman she and Creed called a mother lying almost lifelessly on the bed. She was thinner than Fantasy remembered, but then again she didn't remember much about her then the beatings, beratings, and time she spent with men.

She felt herself squeeze her adopters' hands tightly as she took a deep breath. Finally, she let go and walked over to the bed. As she stood next to her mother, she stared at her closed eyes and pale face. Her silver hair was almost all gone and fantasy assumed she must have lost it throughout the years of abuse she had put her body through. She was attached to too many machines to count, leaving the teen to believe she really wasn't going to last much longer.

Sensing someone next to her, the woman opened her eyes and looked at her curiously. Not recognizing who she was, she turned to her son who was still standing at the door.

She laughed bitterly. "Came to watch me die?"

Creed frowned and shook his head. "I didn't come here to see you. **She** did."

The sick woman looked back to the small girl, suddenly registering the silver hair and green eyes. Her eyes widened a little and her mouth gaped open.

"Fantasy?"

The girl only stared at her in response. She studied her face as memories she didn't know she had came rushing back to her. She saw her mother's angry face yelling loudly, calling her names she wouldn't call her worst enemies. She felt her mother stealing a thin blanket from her, saying she didn't need it. Next, she saw her mother jumping into a car with strangers and disappearing for days on end.

Fantasy looked back at her adopters. Train was holding Creed's hand and her brother looked like he was holding his breath. Seeing how uncomfortable this made him, the teen smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine. You can go."

This was something that took some convincing on her part. They didn't want her to be alone with the woman for too long, but Fantasy knew she wouldn't be able to say what she wanted to if they were in the room. She watched as they hesitated, but left despite their unease. Train had his arm wrapped around Creed's waist as her brother rested his head on his husband's shoulder.

Fantasy waited until she heard the click of the door to address her mother. She turned to her, unable to speak for several seconds as she watched her sick face.

"Mother…"

The woman looked at her tiredly, reaching a hand out to touch her hair. Fantasy allowed the woman this gesture, knowing she wasn't long for this world.

"You look just like me… I'm sure you have all the boys after you."

Fantasy narrowed her eyes and batted her hand away. If there was going to be a tender moment just then, that sentence put a stop to it. She took a deep breath and counted to ten, another trick Creed had taught her to help hcontrol her panic attacks and anxiety.

Looking down at the woman's face, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for her. She decided to voice that. "I feel sorry for you, Mother…"

She laughed quietly, then coughed. "Don't pity me. I'm getting what I deserve, aren't I?"

Fantasy shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest, I don't know. I don't know you and I don't know what you do and do not deserve. But, then again, who's fault is it that I don't know you?"

Her mother said nothing. Fantasy locked eyes with her and continued.

"You know, I didn't come here with a plan of what to say. I just wanted to see you before it was too late. I didn't want to regret not giving you the chance to see the young woman I've become. I wanted you to see that I am doing great and I'm going to be fine as long as I have Creed and Train."

She sighed bitterly, then coughed again. "Guess that boy was worth more than I gave him credit for…"

Fantasy smiled. "They're both worth more than I think the world gives them credit for." She glanced at the door, seeing Train holding Creed lovingly in his arms, caressing and kissing him, letting him know the teen was going to be fine.

"I think Creed believes he's made peace with you, but I don't think there will ever be true peace after what you put us through. The best we can do is realize we have no control over you or your actions and we never did. What you did to us wasn't our fault, no matter how much you want us to believe it was."

She turned back to the sick woman and noticed she looked a bit angry at what she said. "Don't worry, I'm not here for an apology. Not that you'd give it to me anyway. I don't expect you to feel sorry and to be frank, I don't care."

She waited to see if her mother would interrupt and upon seeing she didn't, went on. "Since I don't know you, I really have nothing to say other than goodbye. And thank you for giving me life."

The woman smirked. "That's what your brother said. Did he coach you?"

Fantasy returned her smirk. "Nope. Just goes to show that, despite your terrible parenting tactics, you managed to give birth to two very mature, intelligent people." She put her hand up. "Don't let it go to your head. You simply pushed us out of your body, we did the rest of the work."

She watched as her mother scowled lazily, then looked away. "You're welcome, I guess…"

Fantasy could tell by her tone of voice she wasn't trying to be mean or sarcastic. In fact, it was as if she was using that time to try and bond with her daughter. It had no effect on Fantasy. She was long past the moment of feeling anything even close to love for her mother. All she wanted was to see her once more before she died.

Fantasy reached her hand out and ran her fingers through her mother's hair, noticing some of it fell out as she did that.

"I hope you can find peace before you take your last breaths. Don't let us be a regret. Don't see us as a failure in your life. If there is any part of you that cares for either of us, I want to comfort that part by saying we're going to be okay. We will live happy and long lives no matter what. We won't let this world ruin us like it did you."

She watched as her mother smiled a little, a tear falling down her pale cheek. Fantasy wiped it away with her index finger, then leaned forward and kissed her head gently. She stood straight and looked into her eyes one last time.

"Goodbye, Mother."

With that, she stepped out of the room, not looking back as she stepped through the doors. She saw Train and Creed sitting on some chairs next to the room. Creed had his head rested on Train's shoulder and the golden man had his arm wrapped around his partner, his other hand rubbing the silver man's knee tenderly. When she came out, they were on their feet instantly, hovering around her to make sure she was okay.

As she watched her saviors fuss over her, Fantasy smiled broadly, then giggled as Train checked her body as if she had been physically injured. She hugged them at the same time as best she could with her little arms and sighed as they returned her gesture.

She pulled away and offered her hands to each of them. "Can we go home?"

They nodded and took her small hands, walking out of the hospital together. Fantasy glanced between her heroes again, feeling a weight lift from her heart, one she knew had been there since the day she was born. She knew as long as she had her family, she was going to be okay. No matter what the world threw at her, she was ready for it.

Before they got in the car she stopped and pulled her hands away. Both men shared a look then turned to her.

"Fantasy? What's wrong?" Creed said as he crouched down to her level.

Train put a hand on her shoulder and eyed her curiously, checking her face for any signs of distress. She smiled warmly at them, feeling the deepest amount of happiness she had ever felt.

"Thank you both so much for everything…"

Train smiled and lifted her in the air, throwing her slightly as Creed sighed in relief and entered the car. Fantasy clung to Train the car ride home, her heart feeling lighter than she ever had before. It was a long drive home, so she decided to settle into her hero and fall asleep.

Creed looked over at his husband and sister and felt more at peace than he ever had before. He reached out and took Train's hand and kissed it gently.

"I love you, Train."

His beloved squeezed his fingers lovingly. "I love you too, Creed."

They drove home in harmonious silence, comforted by the fact that no matter what life was going to throw at them, they wouldn't let anything take them down.

After all, they knew they had truly everything they could ever need.

* * *

Thank you for reading.


End file.
